The Bakugou Effect
by Red Okra
Summary: Yaoyorozu gets paired with Bakugou for a school project. Really, apart from several weeks' worth of firsthand vulgarity and the heightened risk of dealing with unpredictable explosions, what's the worst thing that could happen?
1. Yaoyorozu I

**A/N:** And this is my first ever story for BNHA! Originally, this was supposed to be a one-shot but I got carried away in writing the other parts in my summary, haha. Featuring a rarepair, Bakugou x Yaoyorozu! I don't think this would have any serious romantic undertones though (I haven't planned that far yet) so in a way, you could see it platonically as the story progresses. This story is set during their second year, and major plot points in the manga will be mentioned so spoiler-alert for anime-only readers! Hope you enjoy! :)

* * *

It was no secret that Yaoyorozu Momo was passionate in her pursuit in becoming a top hero.

She was much aware, of course, that in order to successfully tread the path of a professional hero, she had to go through rigorous amount of studying and training under U.A., which meant being stuck for another couple of years under a school system. Which wasn't a big problem, actually, because studying was already second nature to her given her Quirk. Though she may not express it verbally, she actually took pride in overcoming obstacles involving academics and written examinations. In fact, her skill to easily absorb formulas and analyze theoretical concepts was something she was more than willing to share with her classmates through her study meetings; knowledge was something meant to be shared, after all!

The bell rang and immediately the gigantic, ergonomically-friendly doors of the classroom slid open, revealing Aizawa-sensei who sluggishly made his way towards his desk. Briskly, her classmates settled down on their seats.

"Good morning," he greeted with his usual enthusiasm of someone who had less than an hour of sleep. He briefly scanned the classroom with his bloodshot eyes before continuing, "Since everybody is present, it's the perfect time to explain your final project for this term."

Yaoyorozu's eyebrows perked up. She took her notebook and pen, ready to jot down notes.

"As heroes, you are very much aware of the importance of your costumes along with your gadgets, gears and the like. After all, they exist to maximize the capacities of each of your Quirks while ideally protecting your own bodies to limit injuries. Having said that, your final project will revolve around making something not limited to said gadgets, gears, and garments, as long as it serves a purpose which you would of course, be able to defend."

Iida extended his arm, calling Aizawa's attention. "Sensei, isn't that the duty of the Department of Support?"

"Correct. However, since you will become future heroes, it is also essential to be well-rounded in all areas. The output of your project doesn't have to be as complex as the machinery done by the Department of Support; it could be a prototype which could serve as a model to whatever invention you have in mind."

Groaning inwardly, Yaoyorozu tapped her pen on her chin. They just sent their requested upgrades for their hero costumes the previous week. She was beginning to regret going all-out in her design. No other idea came to her mind.

"But sensei," Midoriya interjected with worry, which mirrored how she felt that moment, "do you mean to say that we have to come up with more upgrades apart from the ones we forwarded to the Department of Support?"

"Exactly. But there is a twist." Aizawa folded his arms, pausing dramatically, which worked, since most of the class were leaning forward in suspense. "This requirement is to be done by pairs."

A familiar sound of amusement was heard from the front rows—Yaoyorozu was sure it belonged to Kaminari, before being promptly shushed by Jirou who was sitting beside him.

"You are expected to come up with whatever product that may serve whatever purpose together with your partner," Aizawa continued, "This will be a great avenue for creativity, as it would also be an opportunity to know not only your classmate's Quirk but yours as well, and widen your perspectives by working together to attain a certain goal."

A loud thud reverberated in the room as Aizawa slammed a wooden box on his desk, startling several to the back of their seats.

"As usual, we shall also be drawing lots."

One by one Aizawa started to announce the names on the pieces of paper that his hand brought out the box. A mix of both tension and excitement tingled in Yaoyorozu's spine. On one hand, she believed the project was indeed a nice opportunity to collaborate ideas with whomever she gets paired with. With a Quirk as flexible as hers, she had no doubts it would come in handy for the project. It would also be a great exercise for her brain too! On the other hand, an uncomfortable knot formed in her stomach, anxious with the thought of not knowing the identity of her partner yet. It felt like end-of-term exercise test all over again. . .

Her heart almost dropped when Aizawa called out her name.

Breathing out, she assured herself that nothing would go terribly wrong.

From her spot, it was easy to scan which of her classmates had not been called yet, and she deduced that she got along with most of them. There was Todoroki (she already worked with him in the exercise test and it pretty much went smoothly in the end), Iida (they get along well academically so she didn't mind being with him too), Hagakure (an upbeat and optimistic girl but that wasn't really a problem), Kirishima (he has proven to be a dedicated sort of guy so it's great), Shouji (he's quiet but seems nice and friendly), Mineta ( _okay_ , maybe she doesn't look forward to him too much) and. . .

"Bakugou Katsuki."

Her first subconscious reaction was to knit her brows together, which she only realized upon hearing Mineta's remark. "That lucky Bakugou. . ."

Ignoring whatever Mineta was insinuating, Yaoyorozu eyed the blond seated two chairs ahead of her, who didn't even make an effort to look at her unlike the other pairs who at the very least glanced at whomever they were partnered with. It was only to be expected of Bakugou, however, so she didn't really take any offense. Being an audience to his insolence to all things in general, she could only hope that her feelings and expectations wouldn't change in the course of their short-term partnership.

As soon as Aizawa finished declaring all the pairs, he instructed them to briefly meet with their partners before they start their lesson. As most of her classmates stood up, meeting halfway with their own group, she took the initiative to approach Bakugou, who didn't seem fazed with all the movements going on around him.

"Bakugou-san." It came out in a much formal, firmer tone than she initially planned. She wasn't really sure why she had to be firm in the first place; perhaps it was her trying to build up a wall against his expected rash reactions?

He responded by turning his head, resting his elbow at the top of his back rest.

"Ah, so it's you," he replied in a calm tone, almost sounding surprised. It would've caught her off-guard if she hadn't remembered that Bakugou was actually capable of _not_ exploding all day long, which was probably 15% of the time . . . 40% if she also included his sleeping hours.

When he said nothing else, Yaoyorozu took a seat behind him—Midoriya's seat, she knew. "So do you already have any ideas in mind?"

"No," he replied bluntly, "Haven't really thought shit as soon as I knew it was a damn pair work."

 _Ding. Ding._ She almost cringed as a mental counter sprung in her head, calculating the profanities entering her ears. She shrugged it off as she tried to hide her discomfort with a smile. "Okay, then it's the perfect time to come up with something, don't you think?"

"Yeah. You're the one who can pull out any shit from your body, right?"

Yaoyorozu's smile became crooked as a single tear escaped her eye. Bakugou simply raised an eyebrow.

Resilience was the key, she told herself, because she was very serious in her dream on becoming a hero. She knew, she just knew that it was going to be a long project.


	2. Bakugou I

It was no secret that Bakugou Katsuki did not work well in groups.

He wasn't ignorant of the fact, and it wasn't something he was proud of either way, but what could he do when he just couldn't help it? Most people were just damn intolerable. He hated people who got in every aspect of his way. He hated people who wouldn't take him seriously. He hated people who piss him off with stupid decisions and stupidity in general. To put it simply, he hated people; he hated dealing with them because it was just plain fucking exhausting. And most of all, he hated people who didn't fucking understand that about him.

It didn't necessarily mean he would isolate himself on his own island; perhaps, that had been his line of thought before coming to U.A. Of course, if given a choice, he'd still prefer to do things alone, but on certain contexts, he knew, he learned it just wouldn't work. Shitty life just worked that way and sometimes it wanted to screw with your head.

Sometimes, he wondered what could've happened to him if Kirishima, Deku, and Four Eyes hadn't saved him in the kidnapping incident. Surely, All Might and the Pro Heroes would've found a way; his safety was their primary concern, after all, but that time, the odds were eerily against them.

He'd probably never admit it, but the shitty trio made him realize that. Apparently, that Half n' Half Ice bastard helped too, along with Ponytail girl.

Secretly, he was thankful too.

Sometimes, he wondered what drove them to do something as reckless as risking expulsion from U.A., which was pretty much everyone's bridge to becoming the heroes they've all dreamed about. He was far from being nice to any of them, or anybody for the matter, so he wasn't really convinced of the whole friendship bullshit reason. If it were another classmate kidnapped, honestly, he wasn't certain if he'd done the same thing. Sure, the opportunity to kick the villain's sorry ass was a tempting offer, but he wouldn't pretend to be ignorant of their limitations. Others may debate on it for all he cares, but he acknowledged and respected the rules. Especially if it would lead to him becoming Number 1 someday.

He realized that the answer was right in front of him—what motivated her to push through with it? Nonetheless he dared not ask. Ponytail girl sat across him, engrossed in reading a book. He opted to continue swishing his pencil, harshly covering the paper with well-defined strokes.

If there was at least something he appreciated with the troublesome, annoying paired setup, Ponytail girl was being completely bearable—talking only when necessary, showing no pretentious bullshit and other crap. Sure, a tinge of annoyance lingered on the fact that she always managed to bag the top spot in terms of academics; somehow that frickin' mouthful name of hers would always be plastered on the top of the list when the results were out. He appreciated, however, that he did not have to needlessly expend energy on her, especially for a project which required this close collaboration.

Now that he thought about it, among the top performing students in their class—meaning potential rivals in his main goal—he found her to be the least irritating. She wasn't as loud and annoyingly righteous as Four Eyes, nor was she needlessly showy and brooding like that shitty Todoroki. Not to mention that nerd Deku, who's the very definition of shitty, illogical, and idiotic. Then again, Ponytail girl didn't seem to be the type who liked to bask herself in the spotlight. He never got the opportunity to interact with her in the past either, so there never was a chance to know her apart from what she showed as second-in-command in class. He hoped, for the sake of their term project and his own, her annoying qualities wouldn't ever surface.

She flickered a page, speaking as she looked towards him. "The properties of your sweat have nitroglycerin-like substances, correct?"

"You did your damn research," he responded back coolly, thickening the lines on his sketch. From a quick glance he noted the brief, small frown that formed on her face before promptly returning to her book.

"Well, there's a section here on nitroglycerin," she added, moving the book towards him so it was right between them on the table, "And while it is a well-known chemical for explosives and weapons, efforts have been made to use it for medical purposes too. With that, I was wondering if—"

"We're making a weapon," he dismissed, not even allowing her to finish. However, judging by her startled silence he knew he completely predicted her line of thought.

She looked like she was about to say something else, but she smiled sheepishly instead. "I...thought as much."

When she said nothing else, he resumed scribbling, feeling her gaze on the piece of paper he was drawing on.

"That's the weapon you had in mind, I assume?"

"Damn right." He gripped the pencil tighter to shade the spherical design only to break its lead. He stared indignantly at the broken tip, ready to break into a fit of profanities when Ponytail girl stood up, reaching out a hand as a sharpener materialized from it.

"Bakugou-san, we're in a library," she reminded, placing it just beside his hand before she gathered the books around her, "I'll be back. I'll look for more references."

He let out a huff, shrugging as she walked towards the shelves. When she was out his line of sight, he took the sharpener, feeling the small, square plastic on his palms.

 _"Eeeeh, Bakugou buddy! You're so lucky you got Yaomomo! Not only is she super cute and smart, but her Quirk is perfect for projects like these!"_

Well, he'd have to agree with the sparky yellow lunk head. Her Quirk was damn versatile, and he'd definitely make the most of it.

 _"Yaoyorozu's such a sweet and responsible gal, but don't go Full-Bakugou on her, 'ya hear? Just the right manliness, bro!"_

He didn't even know why that shit-for-brains Kirishima had to say that. What the fuck did he mean with the Full-Bakugou, anyway?

Why was he recalling what those two shitheads told him over lunch even?

By the time she got back, carrying stacks of books no less than before, he was already done with his design—a fucking masterpiece if he may add. She noticed it too as a curious eyebrow elevated from her face. He handed it to her as soon as she sat down.

"Bakugou-san," her tone was careful, almost hesitant, "what exactly is this?"

He wouldn't exactly call himself optimistic, but he was feeling something close to it already. He sneered, already imagining the high grades they'd receive.

What he didn't notice however was the worried look on her face as she further studied the paper.

"It would be the fuckin' best term project output ever friggin' made."


	3. Yaoyorozu II

The chilly winds of the afternoon brushed raspingly against her exposed arm, sending a shiver coursing throughout her whole body. She attempted to shrug off the discomforting sensation, intent on recreating the image that had been planted in her head for the past two days while at the same time desperately trying to ignore the displeased stares of the person in front of her.

A metal device shaped like a sphere emerged from her arm, which was impatiently grabbed by Bakugou, making her feel the weird yet familiar sensation of his bare hand, sloppy and cold against her already cool skin. He wasted no time as he briskly faced the other direction, blasting off the device with his Quirk which flew towards a mannequin meters away from them. She felt her heart race as it reached a close enough distance, and upon Bakugou's signal (consisting of an obviously annoyed grunt), she swung her other arm in its direction, clicking the smaller remote in her palm. It emitted a puff of smoke before simply plopping against the target, falling down on the ground alongside her other failed creations.

Yaoyorozu bit her lip, her gaze shifting to his already shaking fists. It would only be a matter of time until—

"GOD FUCKIN' DAMN IT!"

There it was, the outbursts he was infamously known for.

"Why won't those freakin' shitty balls fucking explode?!"

She knew it was bound to happen at least once in the course of their project, yet she realized no amount of preparation would help her get used to such uncouth words. She shifted uncomfortably, summoning all her willpower to respond to him.

"I'm…I'm truly sorry, Bakugou-san."

Her words were spoken soft, devoid of any pride. No matter how much she modified the properties of the metal coating, it seemed impossible to obtain their desired outcome. Either she'd make it too brittle that it would explode upon being blasted by his hand, or it would be too sturdy that its coating wouldn't break off as soon as they activated the fuse on the inside.

He was still facing the other way, yet she could already imagine the expression of his face. An uncomfortable lump formed in her throat.

"Are you fuckin' certain you followed what's on my design?"

"Yes," she answered with no hesitation.

"Then what the fuck is wrong with it?!" He angrily pivoted, kicking some of the snow away from where he stood to stare at her with unconcealed frustration painted on his face.

Yaoyorozu held her breath, feeling the anxious beating of her heart. Theoretically, there was nothing wrong with his design. To put it simply, it worked like a cannonball grenade, except there was no actual cannon since his own hands would do the job. She knew it was his own way of coming up with something to overcome his weakness with long-ranged combat, so somehow she understood his increasing frustration of their failed attempts.

"I think it has something to do with the actual chemical properties of the device." She paused, hesitant in telling her next words, "I, I can't seem to come up with the perfect chemical formula for the alloy we used—"

"Well, are you sure you tried every fucking possible nook and cranny?"

"Yes," she repeated, staring blankly on the ground. In fact, she spent the last two nights staying up late just to recreate various prototypes, each with different metallic properties. Ever since she received the blueprints of the device, she had been trying hard to come up with different chemical combinations which she hoped would turn out successful, all while reviewing for tests scheduled for the previous days.

She could feel his strong gaze scrutinizing her yet she tried to ignore it.

"Well, you didn't try fuckin' harder."

The tone of his voice lowered significantly with his last words, yet the sharpness lingered; Yaoyorozu definitely felt a painful jab in her chest.

But instead of cowering further away, she straightened her back, firmly lifting her chin. This time, she looked at him straight in the eyes.

"Excuse me?" It came out as a harsh whisper. She tried to cease the hot tears forming in her eyes.

He didn't flinch with the sudden shift in her tone. If anything, her reaction only made his glare even more intense.

"I said, you didn't try fuckin' harder," he echoed, emphasizing the words even further.

She wasn't sure what came over her—whether it was out of sheer frustration to the difficult project, sheer frustration to her difficult partner, lack of sleep, or all of the above—but she rummaged her pockets, crumpling the neatly folded papers containing various formulas in the process, and throwing said papers right across his face, almost slapping him. For a brief second, she rejoiced at his look which said that he didn't see that coming.

"Since you're so brilliant anyway, Bakugou-san, why don't _you_ try to come up with the formula? Maybe you'll be able to decipher it."

And she stormed off, not giving him time to respond. The snow crunched underneath her shoes as she made her way back to the dormitories.

The warmth from inside the building was welcoming as she opened the doors, somehow lessening the heavy emotions she felt within her chest. Several voices also greeted her, but were ultimately ignored as she briskly strode towards the elevator, hoping to hide the tears that stained her face.

She was suddenly too tired. All she wanted was to be alone for a while.

Thankfully she no longer encountered anyone on the way to her room. As soon as she closed the door, she sunk herself to her enormous bed, turning away from the piles of metal balls and hiding her face on her pillow as she sniffed pathetically.

Yaoyorozu was actually very sincere about cheering on each other wholeheartedly. It was her personal belief that heroes would attain their goals best if they worked in groups, especially if they learn how to harmoniously coordinate each of their Quirks. And what better way to start a group from a group of friends?

It was ironic if she thought about it, but she never really had any friends in middle school. She wasn't really sure why, too; was she simply too sheltered? Or perhaps she was too naïve for thinking that they'd treat her as their friend if she simply gave them various material possessions with her Quirk? She never really told anyone, but despite receiving the highest honors during their middle school graduation, she realized her happiness felt superficial. They often told her that Momo would definitely be one of the loved heroes with her useful Quirk, but how come she felt otherwise the moment she saw her classmates hugging each other from afar, bidding their farewells to each other? She felt absolutely left out.

How could she possibly be a hero when feelings like those stayed?

So as soon as she stepped into U.A., she wanted to change that. Perhaps, she should start reaching out more? That's what heroes do too, right? No matter what their differences were, she valued her classmates, her comrades, and she was dedicated in helping them every step of their way. Bakugou was no exception to that—never mind the fact that he was a major jerk. It was what ultimately led her to seek him out together with Midoriya and the others, despite knowing the possible consequences of their actions should they be caught.

Of course, despite what others may say, Yaoyorozu wasn't also perfect. In her first months in the academy, she'd be lying if she said she was eager to have someone like Bakugou as her friend. She actually admired Midoriya for trying to rekindle whatever friendship they may have had in the past. The truth was, she found him too rash, too violent to the point that it made her uncomfortable; it pained her to watch his battle against Uraraka in the Sports Festival. She couldn't imagine how it must've been in her place. Nothing good seemed to come out from his mouth either. She recognized his talents, but he seemed like a lost case in terms of manners and good conduct.

Being with Bakugou was similar to being with a time bomb, and Yaoyorozu wasn't certain if she would be able to survive it without the both them being blown to bits.

She unknowingly fell asleep, and by the time she woke up, it was 11:00PM already. She figured she should just fall asleep again—they had classes tomorrow after all—but her stomach protested, growling loudly. It wasn't surprising, since she skipped dinner after all, and when she left Bakugou she almost depleted her fat reserves with all her failed creations. She decided it was best to have a midnight snack.

She quietly maneuvered herself in the dim corridors, making her way towards the common elevator. She pressed the ground floor, closing her eyes as she felt the metal box moving in between floors. However, she felt it slowly coming into a halt almost too soon. Too soon for it to be the ground floor.

Yaoyorozu immediately opened her eyes, panicking.

Ding!

Her first thought was that it stopped on the fourth floor, thinking it to be Bakugou. Oh no, how awkward would it be…

But when she checked the floor on the digital screen, it said "3."

The door opened, revealing a blond boy, but not the one who she was expecting.

"Kaminari-san!" she greeted with surprise.

"Hey, if it isn't Yaomomo," the other responded back with his usual vigor, standing beside her as he entered. "Fancy meeting you this late at night. Never thought you're the type to go sneaking out after curfew."

She smiled a bit. "I don't plan to stay out long though." She paused, actually torn between telling him the truth of her little trip. "I, uh, just forgot something."

"Ohhh, you too, huh?" He placed his hands on both sides of his head as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Man, somehow, it makes me feel better that someone smarter than me happens to deal with memory problems too!"

She found herself chuckling. Technically, she didn't really forget…but perhaps it was better if he really didn't know the truth.

"So, how are you and that angry chihuahua Bakugou? I hope he wasn't too mean to you."

She grew quiet for a while. She knew he was among the people who greeted her when she entered the building earlier. Most likely a disgruntled Bakugo followed after her shortly, and it wouldn't take a genius to figure out what probably transpired between them. From Kaminari's voice, she knew he was trying to keep things from being too serious. She sensed him awkwardly shifting beside her.

Ding!

"Looks like we're here!" Kaminari exclaimed, as if forgetting he said anything, holding the "open" button when the doors separated. "After you, Yaomomo!"

She thanked him as she stepped out, waiting for him to come out as well. "Actually, we're not really on best terms right now," she admitted.

Kaminari heaved a sigh. "I knew it. What did he do this time?"

She narrated the story as they sat down on the couch. Kaminari said nothing, waiting for her to finish. She appreciated that about him.

"And that's it," she said, holding her hands together, "He's just too mean… How do you even manage to be friends with him?"

Kaminari laughed through his nose. "I dunno about Kirishima but I doubt that potty mouth even considers me as his friend! But anyway, here's the secret behind it, Yaomomo; learn the Bakugou-language!"

She looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

"What I'm trying to say is that you should try to see through his words. Actually, it's kinda hard to interpret it at first since all you hear are rotten bull crap, but you know what, most of the time he actually means well. I learned about that during the provisional license test." Kaminari grinned. "You know what they say too, it's possible to find treasure even in garbage!"

She slowly nodded, trying to digest his words. Now if she thought about it, something in him changed after the kidnapping incident. The outbursts were still present—she did experience it first hand—but comparing the Bakugou from before to the Bakugou now… Somehow, he was strangely more approachable.

Kaminari bid her good night right after he retrieved his forgotten item. Apparently, it was his pair of slippers. She tried hard not to laugh.

"Hey, no judgement!" Kaminari said as he entered the elevator, "You sure you don't want me accompanying you to the kitchen?"

She shook her head, smiling. "No, I can manage. Good night, Kaminari-san."

"Actually, it's against my gentleman code to leave you here, but I'm only not accompanying you because I know someone's still there. I could feel the static energy from the opened kitchen lights." He winked before waving a hand. Before she managed to ask who he meant, the doors of the elevator shut close.

Yaoyorozu sighed. Not that she's scared, but doesn't he know that there's a double meaning behind his words? Good if it was a classmate, but what if it was an unwelcomed visitor? Or worse, what if it was Aizawa-sensei making rounds? Not that she had anything to worry about, she knew how to defend herself.

Just as she made a turn from the lobby, she realized Kaminari was indeed saying the truth. The kitchen lights were on. And she soon discovered the identity of the mystery person.

It was Bakugou, surrounded by a bunch of books while his head rested against some pieces of familiar papers on the table. He was sleeping soundly.

Somehow, a warm feeling surged within Yaoyorozu, and it wasn't similar to the anger she felt towards him hours ago. If anything, the anger faded away, and a hint of guilt pinched her heart when she remembered how she shoved the papers right on his face. Though he kinda deserved it for his hurtful words.

 _"Try to see through his words_ ," Kaminari's voice repeated in her head.

After obtaining some snacks from the fridge, she turned back to him. Without thinking twice, she produced a pillow from her body and placed it right beside his head. She flinched when he suddenly moved upon contact with the pillow, but he simply shifted his arms and head, resting on the cushion much more comfortably. Yaoyorozu was convinced that he was still asleep.

The next day, she found the pillow at her doorstep, along with a new set of formulas just beside it.


	4. Bakugou II

Katsuki was most definitely a morning person.

Perhaps, it helped that it was just how his mother raised him to be; as soon as he entered preschool the old hag made sure to wake him early in the morning even when he had afternoon classes. It soon developed into a habit which he carried as he grew up—school breaks were exceptions of course because sleep and his comfortable bed sheets were fucking precious . . . though that didn't make his mom scream at him any less, much to his dismay.

Anyway, if there was something he appreciated with the habit, it was how he could use it to his advantage considering their more independent lifestyle staying in the U.A. boarding house. There were still rules of course, and they had a curfew; while they were generally allowed to stay within the vicinity of the building at night, strictly no one was allowed to be out of the dorms past 22:00. Unless they wanted to face the wrath of a shaking, angry Aizawa, which Katsuki already witnessed from his personal experience in his first year. Not that he was scared and all, but he hated when adults lecture him, put him on house arrest, and make him clean the entire dorm. With stupid Deku no less.

Going back, waking up earlier than daylight meant having time for an early jog and exercise to maintain his form, since curfew's lifted when it's 5:00 in the morning. It also gave him enough time to freshen himself up afterwards, enough time to devour his breakfast while reviewing his notes, and plenty enough time kill the motherfucking oral plaque when brushing his damn teeth fucking sparkling clean.

He aimed to be a top hero after all, so it was important to develop a damn exemplary routine to train his mind and body in tip-top condition.

That morning was unlike his usual ones however.

He pretty much saw it coming the moment he woke up in the wee hours not in his room, but inside the kitchen area.

He actually had no intentions of staying there for long; he planned on vacating to the comforts of his room as soon as Ponytail girl returned, because fine, he actually felt fucking awful right after her dramatic exit. It didn't help when he felt the piercing, judging eyes of his nosy classmates just as he entered the dorms right after her. Contrary to the belief some ignorant shitheads, he wasn't all that heartless. To put it simply, he only had straightforward way of dealing with things to avoid unnecessary dilly-dallying. And while he may have an unconventional way of verbalizing his views, he could recognize when he would seemingly drove past the line. Well, fuck, he wasn't perfect. He blamed it on the shitty winter weather too.

The nasty feeling of guilt had continuously crept within him when he saw the countless theoretical formulas on the pieces of paper that she ever so graciously splattered on his face. When he himself attempted to come up with his own, he realized how fucking difficult it actually was, considering their basic knowledge on chemistry. They've only recently studied the subject when they entered second year, after all.

Yet it wasn't impossible.

So he continued reading, reaching topics that weren't even included in their course outline, piling the papers with notes even when the lights to the lobby had been turned off. Soon, his eyes felt tired. It was way past his usual sleeping time, yet there still was no Ponytail girl. And he was close to computing the best theoretically possible answer.

But he opted to rest his eyes.

Minutes had passed and he opened them again, ready to resume his work. As he began to stretch his back and neck, sore from being arched onto table for a long time, he noticed the sight of a red pillow which definitely wasn't there before.

He had no doubts whom it belonged to. For some reason, he felt something being lifted off from within his chest.

He completed the formula shortly and went to his room after, but not before delivering back the pillow to its owner, along with the fruit of his and her efforts.

He slept for the remaining hours of the morning, waking up a little later than usual. He went on to his usual routine though with each process done in a quickened pace.

His eyes felt heavy, groggy from lack of sleep, yet for some reason, he wasn't as miserable or cranky as he initially expected. The shower most likely helped in alerting his senses like it used to.

Rubbing his hair drenched from the shower with a towel at hand, he made his way to the dining area. On lucky days, he spent eating his breakfast alone in silence, though on some days, he'd share it with someone else. Most of the time it was with Four Eyes, possibly the only person in the building who could wake up earlier than he did and rivaled his near-perfect routine.

Bakugou already heard a series of voices coming from his destination so he knew it wasn't one of his lucky, peaceful days. The chattering stopped abruptly just as he made himself visible to them.

"Ah, Kacchan! Good morning!" came Deku's irritatingly cheery voice. He wouldn't actually say they were in good terms already, but he tried to keep in mind what All Might told them about working together to be the best heroes.

"Yo," he heard Half n' Half bastard say next, who seemed to be eating whatever it was on his bowl.

Bakugou didn't realize he actually ignored them because he stopped walking at the sight of Ponytail girl sitting with them, who much like him, froze on her spot as she looked at him back.

As if on cue, they looked away at the same time.

The feeling of discomfort returned.

Bakugou despised it.

Because suddenly, the atmosphere turned awkward.

Deku broke the silence when he pushed his chair away from the table. "Say, Todoroki-kun, uhh, want me to show you this neat trick I learned?"

Todoroki quickly caught on and gulped whatever remained on his bowl. "Sure, I suppose."

Immediately they vacated from the table. Even Ponytail girl couldn't do anything, helplessly reaching out her hand in silent protest.

Those bastards.

Bakugou chose to ignore the discomfiting lump forming on his throat and stomped towards the table, roughly pulling the chair right across from her. Even as he sat, Ponytail girl remained silent, eyes intent on her cereal bowl while scooping it with unease.

It dawned to him that it could've happened the previous night. To talk about their damn project? Yes, of course. Their grades relied on it after all, and he knew it was important for her too. To apologize for his shitty attitude? Yes, ideally, but why did it seem so damn hard now that he was actually facing her? He already had that rehearsed last night! 'Sorry for being shitty, Ponytail girl, so could you please stop being angry so we can work on this shitty project to get it over with?'

Fuck. This was why he hated dealing with people.

Just then she released of her grip on the spoon, producing a brittle clank against the bowl which effectively brought him out of his musings.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Bakugou looked at her incredulously. 'The fuck she apologizing for?

"I . . . honestly felt hurt about what you told me yesterday, but my reaction to it was really uncalled for."

He gave her a strange look.

"I felt pretty bad . . . for throwing the papers on your face. That was incredibly rude of me."

He eyed her carefully. Upon realizing she was dead serious, he scoffed, looking away. "Don't you realize that I deserved even more than that? Idiot."

She remained quiet, her brows narrowing in response. Bakugou exhaled hard, trying not to look directly at her. Well shit, so much for his rehearsed speech.

"So you are apologizing," she pointed out. It was more of a statement than a question. He didn't know whether to be pissed or not.

"Don't make me repeat myself." He snatched an empty bowl from the stack just beside the cereal box on the table, paying no heed to the feeling of warmth enveloping face.

"I see, so that's how it is," she murmured with a slow nod, tone as if she learned the meaning of life. Or whatever the fuck she discovered that she appeared to be thoroughly enlightened. "Anyway, I forgive you. Let's just do our best to get along from now on."

He gave no verbal reaction and instead poured a larger amount of cereal than what he intended. Whether or not she took offense on his response, it wasn't apparent since she was smiling.

"I'll try to be more understanding of your words from now on," she added before happily consuming her meal once more.

Bakugou raised an eyebrow as grabbed the milk carton. If there was something new he learned from the whole ordeal, it was that Ponytail girl was weird. Extremely weird.

"A-ha! Are the two of you finally okay?"

They both turned to see that Sparky idiot, followed closely by the other idiot Kirishima who emerged from one of the pillars in the building. And Deku. And Todoroki. And apparently, Four Eyes too, who appeared ashamed they got caught.

Eavesdropping bastards.

"It's none of your damn business," he responded, eating a spoonful as Kirishima tried to appease the offended idiot. Four Eyes was also yammering something about agreeing with his statements along with the importance of privacy and other shit. Across him, Ponytail girl simply giggled.

It was just the beginning of a long day.

Because after the whole predicament at the breakfast table, they headed for class. Second year was the time to apply the theoretical knowledge they learned from their first, so they had practicals more often. It made sense, since as they'd be on the field more often than not when they become heroes.

He donned his modified hero costume. It appeared pretty much like his usual one except it covered his exposed upper arms. It was also tailored to have a special, thicker fabric that generated more warmth to help utilize his quirk given the chilly weather.

As soon as he was ready, he joined his classmates in a small briefing area. He didn't bother to look how each of them looked like, though it piqued his interest to hear similar displeased sentiments that mirrored his own. Apparently he wasn't the only one who wasn't a big fan of the whole practicals-in-winter setup. Who the hell liked it anyway?

From one side of the room, Todoroki sneezed.

See, even the ice bastard was having colds or something.

When everyone was gathered already, Eraserhead and All Might ordered them to step outside. Cursing under his breath, Bakugou complied, bracing himself for the cold winds which disgracefully welcomed him with a slap the moment he exited the building. He tried to ignore it, instead preoccupying himself by searching for his name on two separate stages. Bakugou easily found his on Stage A.

"Alas, a very chilly morning to you, my students," All Might retorted, who stood beside Aizawa, cocooned in his sleeping bag. "As much as we want to keep you indoors all warm and cozy, I'm afraid that in order to train you to become full-fledged heroes, we must submerse you even in atrocious environments to test your capabilities in utilizing your wits and quirks to your survival."

"Correct. Think of this as a perfect learning opportunity," Aizawa added.

"Originally, we were supposed to pair you randomly, however . . ."

"It has come to our attention that some pairs are having a difficult time with their term projects. Be it the seemingly incompatible quirks, seemingly incompatible personalities," there was a distinct pause which Bakugou found annoying, "or whatever other reasons that may hinder you from coming up with an output."

"Therefore! We shall try to bring a solution to this problem. Being bright students, you all probably know which direction we are heading!" All Might extended each of his arms towards each stage. Bakugou already understood, meeting the gaze of Ponytail girl who stood on the other stage. Neither looked away this time. "That's right, to complete today's trial, you are expected to work with your term project partners. Now, please turn your attention to the boxes in front of you."

Bakugou complied and opened the box; inside was a blue wristband with an attached key. He placed it around his hand, and immediately it snapped shut.

"Today's test is simple. You simply need to retrieve an item inside a guarded facility and make it safely outside. The keys to retrieve them are on your hands, literally. If one should look at the setting of our exercise," Aizawa motioned his hand towards the scenery beneath the cliff the stages stood on—a metropolis, "you may notice various structures that stand out. Yes, the color of your wristband corresponds to your assigned facility. If you got the red wristband, you go to the red building, and so on. Understand? Whether you would pass or fail depends on your judgment all steps of the way. Debriefing would commence when the time limit is over."

"All right, let's not waste any more time! On my count, everyone shall be sent to the metropolis. Three . . ."

"Sent how?" Black Eyes frantically retorted from beside him. Most began moving on their spot uneasily when the stage began shaking, tilting the stage slightly as it elevated. He shifted his footing to keep balance.

". . . Two . . ."

Bakugou understood immediately. He extended his shoulders behind him, calculating the amount of nitroglycerin to release. He eyed the blue building—that's where he goes, it was their destination, after all.

Fuck, _their_ destination. Just as he had the realization, he singled out the voice of someone calling his name amidst the cries of his classmates.

". . . One!"

At the last second, he turned to the source, several feet away from him—from the looks on Ponytail girl's face, he knew they reached the same conclusion. Reaching the destination wasn't the first priority; the pairs were separated in two, far apart stages for a reason.

And then they were sprung off from the stage like a fucking jack-in-a-box gone wrong, sending them flying in mid-air. Bakugou easily maneuvered himself in the skies, evading French guy's laser beams (fucking flashy) and Todoroki's ice path (fucking show-off).

He quickly spotted Ponytail girl suspended in the air like a frantic flying lemur, evidently struggling with her fan-like air glider as her heavy cloak fluttered violently against the winds. She was donning a pair of goggles, but he noticed the immediate brightening of her eyes the moment she sensed his presence. In no time he reached for the bar she likewise held onto, letting his other arm steer them downwards gradually via explosion.

"T-thanks," her voice clattered due to the frosty winds, yet it was filled with relief. Unsurprising, since she was clearly shaken from her previously unstable ride.

"Don't thank me yet. We still have to land safely." He eyed the blue building from the distance. The downside of having his quirk control the glider was the increased velocity it subsequently caused, therefore it was more difficult to come into a complete stop without any accidents. It wasn't impossible, yet it was a gamble nonetheless.

"B-bakugou-san," she called out, interrupting his thoughts, "on my count, you let go."

He looked at her like she was crazy. "What?"

"The building's already too close; there's a higher chance of crashing if we stay."

"No, we should stay," he lashed back firmly, readjusting his clutch on the metal bar, "I'd be able to adjust my explosions just enough to counteract against the wind's velocity."

"Now's not the time to be difficult, Bakugou-san! You know you'd risk injuring your shoulders that way!" She breathed heavily, turning her head back forward. "I have a plan, t-trust me!"

The building was almost there. Ponytail girl mentioned something about reaching for her hand when they let go. Instead of responding with affirmation whatsoever, he brought his free arm forward, releasing succeeding waves of explosions that made their flight sway from its linear path.

"Wait, what are you doing?!"'

"Shut up, I'm helping us decelerate!"

"O-okay, that's helpful I guess," she muttered with hesitance, "but please, let's follow through my plan."

He glanced at her momentarily before shifting his eyes to the building. What the fuck was her plan, even? He was aware she probably had something up her sleeves, yet he was also reaching the desired velocity for his own plan—never mind the stinging feeling of his strained shoulders and wrists.

With his conflicting thoughts he didn't immediately register her voice when she yelled her signal. She was the first to let go, and for a split second, an almost panicked look on her face surfaced when she saw him not following.

But he still did, cursing in the process, instinctively diving downwards to reach for her. He cursed again when his hand didn't reach hers, so he pushed himself further with his Quirk. It was effective, and as soon as their hands connected, she hurled herself towards his body, strapped some sort of belt on his trunk before clinging her arms tightly around his abdomen. He didn't even have time to react on what the actual fuck she was doing because a sudden strong force briefly pulled him upwards before they gradually descended. Looking up, he discovered a parachute gliding them downwards.

They were still at a considerable height when Ponytail girl's arms started slipping off him. He reacted instantly, grabbing her under the shoulders until they landed on the designated roof deck.

"What the hell was that about?!" he bellowed, yanking the parachute away from his body.

She appeared shaken by his outburst but responded anyway. "Well, we did manage to land safely. Frankly speaking your plan wasn't also the least reckless."

He glared at her, making an annoyed grunt. He thought it wasn't the most perfect either so who was he to disagree?

She stood up, removing her goggles and straightening her cloak in the process. "Anyway, I'm still glad to know we're on the same page in this. It wasn't very obvious from our teachers' explanations but regrouping is the first thing to consider if we aim to maximize time."

He began to unstrap the parachute belt around him but realized it was made out of some complicated-looking snaps. "It's easy to assume that both would aim to reach for their assigned buildings, but not everyone is capable of transporting themselves easily, especially airborne."

She smiled, seemingly not noticing his temper meters rising by the second. Fucking belt. "Somehow, I think we're off to a good start."

Several unsuccessful attempts of doffing the parachute belt for god forbid many times later (seriously he didn't know whether to be horrified or amazed by her scrutinizing ability to produce something so complex but it pissed him off nonetheless), they made their way towards the door giving access to the building. Naturally, it was locked.

She studied the doorknob but it likewise failed to budge open in her hands. "Perhaps I should be able to produce a key..."

"Move," he commanded instead, and as soon as she stepped back, he busted it open with his explosions.

"Bakugou-san!" She haphazardly fanned the smoke that materialized from his hand. "The damage control?!"

He entered the doorway without looking back, briefly scanning the small space before descending the stairs. "Do remember that we're being timed too. If this were an actual mission, that'd be considered as collateral damage."

She trailed after him shortly, judging by her footsteps from behind him. A distinct pause filled the air as if she pondered on something, but she spoke soon after. "Hmm, that's true, I guess."

They made their way downwards in silence, cautiously scanning every floor they passed. All rooms looked the same, distinctly empty with nothing notable enough until they reached the eighth floor. The room was dimly-lit like the others, yet in the middle stood a platform. It was cornered by four pillars yet the most noticeable object was the small box in the middle of it. He easily concluded it was their goal.

"But . . . It's just there," she pointed out with uncertainty, "It's too simple."

He mirrored her sentiments. He eyed the large metal boxes surrounding the corners of the room. It was highly probable that traps were within the vicinity. "I know, but we won't learn anything by just standing here."

"Yes, but what do you propose we do then?"

"No shit is actually happening yet so obviously we just have to come close to it."

She nodded. "Right. With caution." As he was about to step inside, she placed a hand on his shoulder, halting him in his tracks, "That means no unexpected explosions, Bakugou-san."

He hastily tugged her hand off. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

They didn't have to wait a long time for something to happen because the moment he stepped his foot in the room, his boot producing a firm thud against the floor in the process, the buttons on the metal boxes began to light up. Bakugou froze, waiting for something to happen, but seconds after, the illuminations died down, bringing back the room to its original dim state.

He looked back at Ponytail girl, who simply nodded, as if urging him to continue. As they approached their goal, they noticed a pattern. Every time they took a step, the lights on the boxes would turn on, but if they wouldn't make a move for about 10 seconds, they would return to their original dormant state. It increasingly became difficult as they neared the center of the room, since the machines seemed more sensitive to their movements given the distance. Nevertheless, after some careful, quiet steps they managed to reach the platform without trouble.

He examined the box enclosed in a glass case—two key holes with distinct patterns were present at each sides. He eyed the wristband with the key on his arm.

From his periphery, he noticed Ponytail girl waving her hand, mouthing the words, "The glass?"

Obviously, they had to break it, somehow. He lifted his gauntlets in suggestion but she quickly disapproved, shaking her head. She frowned, then pointing to her ears.

Well of course he knew they reacted to sound—their whole stealth parade made that pretty clear. Sighing heavily, he reached an arm forward, gesturing for her to go on with whatever she was planning. He hated to admit it, but using his Quirk was out of question. Meanwhile, she was the most equipped for the job.

He watched as she created some sort of padding that she glued on the soles of her boot, which somehow effectively lessened the noise as she ascended the platform. Huh, couldn't she have fucking done that before they entered the room? He tried not to be annoyed by that bit as she carefully made her way to the middle, producing a cutter as she studied the glass surrounding the box. To pacify his impatience, he opted to observe the surroundings, swallowing the fact that he was stuck on guard duty. He definitely hated how his Quirk was not made for covert operations like this; his body was simply itching to move.

His gaze turned to the lifeless machines surrounding the room. Looks like the pieces of metal crap weren't that much of a threat if they could snoop around the room easily. Ponytail girl then waved her arm, bringing his attention back to her—she managed to create two small, circular openings on the glass big enough for their hands to fit their keys in. As she approached him again, he noticed the faint smile on her lips, almost giddy, as if she was purposefully concealing how proud she was of what she had done. He wanted to tell her that there was nothing to get excited about since they haven't exactly gotten the item yet, but for once, he simply shook his head, finding himself snickering a bit.

Afterwards, she made another batch of boot soles with the same material for him, and after settling it on his footwear, they approached the box together. He felt his palms becoming sweaty in anticipation. It dawned to him that there was definitely something about their situation which made his nerves tingle; on one hand, there was the excitement of reaching their prize that was literally in his arm's reach, being the first pair to possibly succeed, but on the other hand, there was also the anxiety of the unknown. How were they so sure they'd get it easily? What if some trap was triggered? Everything was too easy and he realized it was pissing him off too.

After scanning the room for the last time, he turned to Ponytail girl, and as she nodded at him, they grabbed hold of the keys on their wristbands.

As soon as they inserted the keys, an earsplitting alarm resounded from the pillars, making the machines spring to life and rapidly approach them. Bakugou reacted instantly, slamming an explosive fist directly onto its metal body which effectively broke it to parts. He let out a growl, his mood shifting entirely, grinning at the robots that continued charging at him. Fucking finally.

His excitement was short-lived, however, when he noticed that the more he destroyed them, the more reinforcements appeared. Smashing was fun, he had to admit, but they still had a goal in the end. From the sides, Ponytail girl was likewise preoccupied battling, expertly maneuvering around with her metal rod, though her opponents were significantly less than his.

He continued letting off a series of explosions, intent on breaking everything around him to pave his way back to the box. But his opponents seemed endless, and he soon realized that it wasn't just because of reinforcements; the previously destroyed ones apparently were able to regenerate back to their original forms and attack again. His temper rose to dangerous levels.

"DIE, DIE, DIE, YOU FUCKERS!"

Amidst his massive display of explosions, he heard Ponytail girl's call who seemed to have retreated to another part of the room. "Bakugou-san, it's your explosions! They're responding and regenerating to its sounds!"

"That's already fucking obvious, but these are just fucking machines! I'm sure there must be some sort of damn limit! I simply have to dig my fucking way out!" The exchange of blows went on, the sounds of his explosions reverberating in the room, but soon enough the horde of machines managed to recover all at the same time and effectively cornered him.

He flexed his fingers, feeling his palms being soaked in nitroglycerin. He gazed at the robots closely which were seemingly drawn by his heavy breathing, as if processing the moment when they'd attack. He braced himself for it, but instead, he heard a sound of something being thrown to the wall adjacent to him, which subsequently rolled on the floor. He didn't even have a chance to see what it was because it exploded, causing the horde of machines to be attracted to its spot.

He looked at Ponytail girl, who had her hands on a familiar looking metal ball and a remote.

"'Digging your fu—d-digging your way out,' as you have mentioned, might've been the most effective way if you're alone, but you're not, Bakugou-san! I'm still here!" she yelled at him all the way across the room, making some of the machines to shift their attention to her. She quickly realized her mistake as she smacked her palm on her mouth.

Bakugou smirked, shaking his head. "You idiot."

As she frantically attempted to fend off some of the robots using successful prototypes of their project, he sauntered all the way to where she was, kicking some giant metal crap along the way. When he turned back to where she was, he felt his breath hitch when he saw what seemed to be her cloak dangling helplessly on one of the robot's arms. A feeling of relief immediately surged however when he saw her warily crawling her way out from the horde, clad in her usual, flimsy hero attire. He dashed to where to she was, bludgeoning some robotic ass in the process, before dragging her back to the staircase and closing the door shut. For a moment, a series of loud knocks shook the heavy door, but otherwise did not do any serious damage.

"Thanks," she said as soon as the pounding behind the door stopped, "And sorry. I should have kept my mouth shut back then. If I only hadn't shouted—"

"Forget about that," he interrupted, "You wouldn't have been able to preoccupy that number of machines for a long time anyway."

She didn't respond immediately, and he glanced at her only to watch her gaze sink to the ground. "Yeah, I probably wouldn't have been able to. Very unlike you."

He got the impression that she was looking down at herself. It ticked him off for some reason. "Quit that crap. There's simply a shit-ton of them."

She nodded hesitantly before she lifted her bare wrist. "I did manage to insert my key, though. Apparently, the wristband comes off too as soon as you turn the key in the box."

He looked at her with interest this time, impressed with how she managed to accomplish something. He tugged at the wristband on his arm that wouldn't budge open. "That answers a lot of questions, then." He placed a hand under his chin in contemplation. "Our next plan would be to perform something similar, but our roles would have to be reversed; you'd preoccupy the mass of metal crap while I insert my key and retrieve the item."

His words met with unexpected silence. A vein popped when he was seemingly ignored, as she turned and walked back steps away from him. Reacting instantly, he stomped towards her and grabbed her shoulder, not noticing that she had her hands at the inner corners of her upper leotard.

"Don't you friggin' turn away when I'm talking to you—!"

What he didn't expect was a horde of binding belt literally jumping out of her skin, directly charging at him on the face. Ponytail girl had a mixed expression of surprise, horror, and embarrassment.

"Bakugou-san!"

He held his hands over his warm face, rubbing the spot which came in contact with her creations. Not exactly because it hurt him—the objects were made of fucking soft materials.

"Warn me next time, God damnit!" he spat in a scolding tone. For that moment it was him turning his back on her.

"Sorry," she said, seemingly not bothered with how she pretty much exposed something that perverted Grape shit would pay millions to see. He felt a light tap on his shoulder, signaling him it was okay to look—seriously the signaling thing should've been fucking done way before; he at least possessed that level of social decency. "Anyway, I agree with your plan. However, my only concern is that it might not work as easily as the first round since I don't possess enough combat skills to fight them off all on my own. Therefore, Bakugou-san, I have a proposal. Instead of just me fighting by myself, would you be able to assist in my plan first before you run off to the box?"

He considered her statements for a moment. There was something about her that reminded him of Deku—perhaps it was their ability to think ahead? Their ability to blather too much when it could be summarize in a few sentences? Those parts sort of pissed him off about her, if only due to being associated with shitty Deku. But he had to admit, there was something commendable about knowing about one's current limits, and with that, his respect for her rose for a bit.

"Alright, spit it out."

"Thank you. This is actually what I had in mind."

She handed him the thing that assaulted his face seconds ago. Examining it, it looked like the carbon fiber strap weapon used by Eraserhead.

"As we've seen earlier, the cannonball prototype worked perfectly. I followed exactly what was on your formula, and I was so happy to know it worked since it's my first time to create it after studying it this morning. Plus, I'm so glad I managed to throw something so heavy with enough leverage with just my arm! It must've been the adrenaline!" She had such a happy grin which he didn't realize he was mirroring until she spoke her next words, "Ah—but let's not waste time talking about that; we have other goals at the moment!"

She continued to explain her plan. The main premise of it was to plant various prototypes on each corner of the room, and systematically setting their explosion times so the machines would go after the sources of sound. As soon as all of them were grouped together, following a single source of explosion, they'd limit the planting from four corners to two, ideally making them go back and forth a single path. To effectively trap them, they'd create a makeshift cage using the fiber straps by wrapping them around two pillars that encased them in the area. As soon as they were cornered, it was his cue to go to the middle, insert his key, and retrieve their item. It was a pretty reasonable plan, so he agreed.

As soon as all materials were prepared, they commenced with their plan. The machines, with their weakness being their predictability, fell under their trap smoothly. If anything, the trickiest part of the whole trip was how they entered the room again, considering one of the robots was blocking the door. It took a sensible amount of time to carefully open the door and have the prototype roll from under it.

Suffice it to say, they were pretty fucking successful.

That's what they initially thought, anyway, because once he got his hands on the item from the box—some shitty U.A. figurine—the lights of the room went off completely; the only source being the red illuminations from the machines. What caught him off-guard was the distinct number 10 suddenly appearing on their heads.

And it went down to 9 by the second.

Ponytail girl voiced out the thought that immediately entered his mind. "B-bombs?"

 _8_.

He clicked his tongue, rushing towards one of the windows and blasted it without second thoughts.

 _7_.

Were they seriously trying to fucking kill them?

 _6_.

"W-wait, it's too high—I n-need time to make—"

 _5_.

"SHUT IT, PONYTAIL GIRL! It's now, or be blown to pieces!"

 _4_.

On his part, it would be no problem since he could control his landing with his Quirk. He hadn't tried it with two people, but . . .

 _3_.

Without thinking, he grabbed her arm and flung it over his shoulder. Her face, if she was capable of saying profanities, pretty much said "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?" but nonetheless she jumped down with him.

 _2_.

For a second time that day, they were falling downwards, and Ponytail girl was hugging his body like an awkward giant koala. He tried to bring his arms forward to use his explosions to counteract against gravity, but she again, for the second time that day too, unexpectedly shifted her body, but instead of embracing his torso like before, she brought her arms around his neck, like they were some sort of sickening couple jumping to their deaths in those cheesy soap operas on television. What the actual fuck?

 _1_.

However, if there was something that slightly alleviated his nerves, it was when he caught a glimpse of her face, determined, unyielding.

But he suddenly remembered they were falling to their possible deaths, and it was not the time to admire someone being bravely crazy or crazily brave, because fuck, fuck, fuck the ground, the fucking ground was almost there—! He extended his arms forward, intent on releasing his strongest explosion, but a large, red blob materialized from her back.

BOOM!

The explosion from above was heard the same time they landed on something large and soft, with an audible PLOP!

"And the third to succeed in the trial," Aizawa's distinct voice declared all over the metropolis, "Bakugou and Yaoyorozu."

Bakugou did not know which to process first—the fact that it took them that long that they only ended up third; or the fact that it wasn't dark smoke filling the atmosphere like he expected, instead, various colorful confetti were flying over their heads; or the fact that Ponytail girl was able to make a red inflatable bed at the last minute; or that fact that said Ponytail girl was embracing him like her life depended on it and was visibly shivering from underneath him.

"I-I'm s-sorry, B-bakugou-s-san," she muttered, but he heard it clearly since his face was that close to hers, "T-there's a-a r-reason why I-I don't like t-the w-winter that m-much. . ."

It took him longer than he would have liked to realize that her cloak was already discarded, and all that covered her body was that scanty costume of hers. And with her most recent stunt, it wouldn't be surprising if all that's left were fabrics that weren't even sufficient enough to make him decent shirt. He couldn't blame her choice of fashion; it was the nature of her Quirk, after all, and he'd probably do the same if he had her ability. . . unless there existed a costume that had regenerating fibers? Maybe one day he could ask Best Jeanist if such technology existed.

He pushed himself off her, refusing to look at whatever state her clothes were at out of courteousness. His ears felt surprisingly warm against the chilly winds. "That makes the two of us, then." He crossed his legs, back facing her, and reached an arm backward, producing a series of small explosions that emitted a decent amount of heat. "Go make a blanket or something."

He heard her utter her thanks. They said nothing else as the confetti continued raining on them until a van escorted them back to the briefing area. They were greeted by their two teachers, along with Recovery Girl who immediately checked their physical state.

"Only minor bruises, very impressive," the elderly medic said, "The stunts you also did were likewise impressive."

"INDEED IT WAS IMPRESSIVE." Grape shit suddenly emerged from the seats, face looking deprived of whatever he was thirsting for, "I'M SO JEALOUS, BAKUGOU, YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE YOUR BODY WAS SO LUCKY TO BE BLESSED BY YAOYOROZU'S IMPRESSIVE—MMMFMMFH!"

"Ehem, pardon me," Four Eyes interjected, thankfully covering the Purple balls' shitty mouth and carrying him back to his chair. Seriously, how the fuck did that Grapes even complete the trial before them? Glancing at them briefly, he caught a glimpse of Todoroki and a pair of floating gloves who waved at him. Huh, Invisible girl.

Recovery Girl proceeded to treat their wounds with antiseptic before giving them both a hot cup of herbal tea, which was absolutely appreciated because fuck the cold weather.

The two sat in silence, looking at the screens which showed footage of the other remaining pairs.

He was in the middle of sipping from his cup when he saw Ponytail girl looking at him from his periphery. He turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

"There's just something on my mind that I've been meaning to say," she began, then concealing her face with her cup.

Bakugou shrugged. "Spill."

"The thing with the parachute," she mentioned, "I wanted to say thank you for following through my plan in the end." She fiddled with the buttons on her coat, something she managed to create minutes ago. "And for not leaving me behind."

He was genuinely surprised at her words that it made him bring down his cup. He recovered quickly. "Of course I'd rescue you, what fucking hero would I be if I didn't?"

The corners of her lips went up. "That's what I'm hoping to hear."

"I still find your plan reckless as fuck though. Wouldn't it have been easier if you just wore the parachute yourself and told me prior so it's me who could latch onto you or something?"

She seemed startled with his question, using the cup again to partially hide her face. "To be honest, that's exactly my first plan, but I realized that would require me to expect you to definitely follow after me." A pause. "Let's just say . . . I wasn't confident that you'd accept my help."

He let out air through his nose. Those were words familiar to his ears. Familiar, but not so welcomed. "But then, how were you so sure that I'd reach for your hand as you fell?"

"If you didn't, then I might've had to use the parachute for myself." She scratched her cheek. "But somehow, I was kinda confident that you would, since I . . . don't know, I just felt, I hoped there was a reflexive need for you to save people. I believe that you really have it in you to be a hero, y'know."

His features softened, trying to digest her words.

Ponytail girl suddenly straightened her back, coughing. "Of course, like everybody else in class, yes. 2-A definitely has what it takes to be heroes!"

Bakugou smirked, finishing what else remained in his drink. "Anyway, that doesn't change that you're still reckless as fuck." He found himself rubbing his face, a particular memory involving fiber straps being recalled by his mind.

She nodded with vigor.

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind."

He wasn't sure if she knew he wasn't just pertaining to the parachute incident.

The conversation ended at that point. But he knew it wasn't the end of his adventures with Ponytail girl. It was simply the beginning.


	5. Yaoyorozu III

Yaoyorozu had an uncanny habit of overthinking things. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing because it was exactly what she needed for her Creation Quirk. To put it in simplest terms, it was important know all the parts needed for the object she wanted to create, followed by perfectly selecting the suitable materials for each of them. Afterwards, she had to assemble them, and finally, think of the suitable coatings to produce her final product. Systematic overthinking, that's what she'd like to call it, and without it, she couldn't imagine what abominations would literally come out of her skin.

The downside of it was that this certain way of thinking affected even the most menial tasks of her everyday life.

Sometimes she just had the tendency to meticulously arrange her things to the point of forgetting what she really had to do. One time, she was going through her various volumes of encyclopedia when she noticed a slightly wrinkled page, likely caused by her haphazard browsing during one late night of studying. The next thing she knew, she was already checking her other books to make sure the pages were wrinkle-free. She smacked her head when she realized it and had been training herself not to be too fussy next time.

That was just the "systematic" part, however.

The worse one was the "overthinking," definitely.

Yaoyorozu believed it was best if one would always come prepared in any occasion. Not that she could help it, but it certainly made her feel better if she had a plan at hand compared to having none at all. Of course, she was also aware that things may go wrong any minute, and the absolute, bad thing about it was that she had a knack for inadvertently blowing things out of proportion. When something would not go the way she intended, it'd only take a matter of time before her head would be occupied with too much preemptive thoughts that soon enough, she would just shut down and all things she prepared would crumble one-by-one, leaving her like a big pile of mess. The perfect example was probably her humiliating defeat against Tokoyami during their first year Sports Fest. She knew his Quirk was strong and anticipated his long-range attacks, but she did not expect it to be _that_ strong.

That incident was probably one of the lowest, most embarrassing points in her teenage life. It left a massive impact on her self-image that since then, she began doubting her abilities whenever she had planned something. Even when it already happened a year ago, even when Aizawa and Todoroki helped her back to her feet during the End of Term practicals, even when she had already received her provisional hero license, the prickling feeling of anxiety and self-doubt would somehow make itself present the moment she felt something was amiss.

For that reason, she had mixed feelings about anything unexpected. On one hand, the sense of excitement existed especially towards discovering mysteries; after all, she was also someone who appreciated all the new information the world has to offer. On the other hand, the thought of the unknown also frightened her in a way, especially since she had a hard time adjusting to unforeseen changes.

She had been training herself to keep a cool head no matter what situation she was in, nevertheless. Being a hero warranted quick thinking and action, especially when lives were at stake.

Speaking of mysteries, Bakugou was another yet to be solved. At first, she was pretty certain he was a predictable sort of guy. Heck, probably everyone in 2-A knew how he possessed a short fuse which was bound to explode even at the simplest things, appropriate for someone who possessed such a Quirk. However, the more she interacted with him, the more she realized that there was more to him than just his volatile brashness. After the Metropolis Trial where they have proven the effectiveness of their prototype, she was expecting him to basically tell her to turn over their project, however. . .

 _"Let's come up with an even better shit."_ Those were his exact words when they met after class. It was an understatement to say that she was surprised with his revelation. After all, she was under the assumption that he wanted the project to end as soon as possible.

Yaoyorozu placed a hand under her chin. Thinking about it, with his expected explosions came the elusive, gray smoke that shrouded the air, which was also something that would perfectly describe him, so her analogies weren't really inaccurate. She did wonder whether she'd be able to pass through the smoke, to see what was hidden beneath it, because she had a great hunch there was more to Bakugou than meets the eye.

She checked the inner pockets of her coat and pulled out a rectangular card with a large "SUPPORT FAIR" printed in block letters. She eyed the passersby on the streets, but no Bakugou was in sight. It's probably not because he wasn't punctual; she just came 20 minutes earlier than their meeting time, which she also did on purpose. It was her first time to visit this certain part of the city, and she allocated extra time just in case she got lost. Which was for the best, since she'd rather not face Bakugou's wrath if she arrived beyond their meeting time. She let out a sigh, letting her breath out against the cold air of that Saturday afternoon.

 _"Bakugou-san, if I may ask," she said as they made their way towards the Support Dept. buildings the previous day, "Why do you propose we come up with a better, um, project? Did you find something wrong with our first output?"_

 _"No," he answered back with conviction, "I say it'd already give us an above average grade basing from the criteria Eraserhead gave us."_

 _She gave a slow nod, recalling the grading sheet their teacher gave them after the debriefing of their Metropolis trial. "But… Above average isn't that bad, right?" Especially considering that making support items wasn't exactly their area of expertise._

 _"That's the damn problem. It's just above average."_

 _Taken aback by his response, she said nothing._

 _"The Sports Festival this year didn't take place during the first term like it used to. They didn't disclose why, but I'm pretty damn sure it's due to the increase of villain activities lately."_

 _She recalled the Kamino incident. She had heard speculations that the reason why the Villain Alliance targeted Bakugou was due to his explosive display of unconventional heroics in the festival last year, which was broadcasted nationwide. She couldn't quite decipher whether he was still affected by the incident since he was walking ahead of her, but if he still was, he was doing a great job at concealing it with the nonchalance in his rough voice._

 _"Remember what Aizawa told us? This is the first time they involved the courses that ain't Support Dept."_

 _She made a sound of affirmation. Their teacher revealed that every U.A. student—be it Heroics, Support, Gen Ed or Management—was required to participate in the gadget-making end-of-term project, and they were going to have a university-wide program showcasing all of them by the following month. She finally understood what he was going for. "So are you saying that this project . . ."_

 _". . .is U.A.'s way of having something like a festival, in a more discreet way," he finished for her, "In a way, this is still like the Sports Fest but caters more to the Support Dept. students."_

 _A crooked smile made its way to Yaoyorozu's face. "As expected of you, Bakugou-san. As competitive as ever."_

 _"Damn right. Besides, we won't get any additional points for submitting early anyway, so it's best to just make most of our time to pull out the best shit we can. Don't you agree?"_

 _He stopped in his tracks to face her, which caught her off-guard._

 _"O-of course."_

 _"Good."_

 _They entered the building without talking any further. Besides the warmth of the indoors, they were welcomed by the stares and whispers of the Support students as they walked on the rather unfamiliar grounds. She smiled awkwardly whenever she met anyone's eyes, but she stayed quiet for the whole trip. Bakugou didn't speak a word as well, but she was pretty sure he was close to bursting judging by his obviously tense hands. Thankfully they endured it until they reached the laboratories._

 _"HO HO HO! If it isn't my colleagues from the esteemed class 2-A!"_

 _"Hatsume-san, good afternoon," Yaoyorozu regarded the high-strung Support student with far less energy expenditure, "We are here to—_ _"_

 _"It's always a pleasure to see you, Yaoyorozu-kun!" Hatsume interrupted as she jumped towards them and grabbed her hands with vigor, pulling them to hers. Her face was too close for comfort that she could literally see the sparkle in her eyes. "Have I ever mentioned how your Quirk is the ultimate dream of an Inventor?!"_

 _"Y-yes, you've also mentioned that to me the last time I visited." She made a feeble attempt to break free from her grip. "You see—_ _"_

 _She was interrupted for the second time with the sound of an impatient explosion that originated just beside the two of them. She turned to see Bakugou who was demonstrating the face of someone obviously pissed off._

 _"Oho, hello to you too, Bakugou-kun! Don't think I was ignoring you—_ _"_

 _Yaoyorozu planted her palm to her face. She was pretty sure Hatsume unintentionally made him even angrier._

 _"Listen 'ere, Noodle hair, we're not here for some casual chitchat—_ _"_

 _"Of course you aren't," she affirmed instantaneously, which effectively softened Bakugou's features by a millimeter. "You're here to check out my precious babies for ideas for your project, correct?"_

 _Yaoyorozu's eyes brightened, "Why, yes—_ _"_

 _A pole appeared right behind Hatsume's back which briskly lifted her towards the high ceiling. She showed a bizarre pose before saying, "My apologies but no can do!"_

 _"WHAT?!" Bakugou exclaimed the same time his hands emitted a large volume of smoke, which caused the fire alarms of the lab to go off._

 _Hatsume simply pressed a button on her vest to shut down the alarms. "It's a direct order from the upper office, sorry. While our department will be judged separately from yours and other non-Support courses, we were asked to refrain from showing our creations to make the competition fair."_

 _"Damn it," she heard Bakugou say. Yaoyorozu bit her lip. Looks like they were on their own—_

 _"HOWEVER!" Hatsume declared as she descended without warning, startling Yaoyorozu out of her skin, "There is one way for you to have a glimpse of my magnificent babies without breaking the rules! Lady Luck is on your side since I still have two remaining complementary tickets for the National Support Company Showcase at Inagi!" She smiled widely as she energetically handed over two cards using a contraption strapped on her arm. "The higher ups only mentioned that we couldn't show you guys directly, but if you do happen to just come across it, it wouldn't count as helping, right?"_

A laugh escaped from Yaoyorozu's lips at the memory. That was how they ended up being guests to an exhibit over the weekend. They were lucky that Hatsume was very willing to share her complementary passes, although she later processed that it actually came with a price. Apparently the exhibit was actually a competition among all Support courses all over the country.

 _"I expect great support for my babies, okay?! Votes from the Hero course have great value in judging!"_

Hatsume instructed them to extend the reminders to Midoriya and Iida, who apparently approached her too in the hopes of helping them. She shook her head. It was actually a win-win situation to all of them so they didn't have anything to lose. Trust Hatsume to take advantage of the situation.

A chilly gust of wind passed by the streets, sending shivers on her exposed neck. Yaoyorozu regretted forgetting to grab a scarf before leaving her house. It was a good thing her Quirk allowed her to make one on the spot. She let her hair down to temporarily guard her skin against the breeze while she pulled her sleeve up and closed her eyes, thinking of the materials needed to create the garment.

Her thinking process was put to a stop when she felt someone's presence in front of her. She flickered her eyes open to see someone she had never seen in her life.

"Hey, you," he grinned, towering over her and casting a shadow over her entire body, "Don't think I see you around in these parts often."

Taking a quick glance, she saw three other male teenagers surrounding her. They seemed to be around her age.

"A gorgeous one such as yourself shouldn't be left all alone."

"I agree! Would you care for a tour around these parts?" The stout one on her left held out his hand.

She pursed her eyebrows together, ignoring the discomfiting lump forming in her throat. "No, thank you."

They laughed in chorus, much to her discomfort. She noticed how they tried to discreetly take a step closer to her. She shifted stiffly.

"She's such an ice queen, ain't she? But still a real beauty!"

Her first instinct was to let her metal rod materialize from her skin to fend them off, but they weren't really doing anything so was it the right choice? Perhaps, ignoring would work? If she just stopped minding them, maybe they'd cease bothering her?

"Have you already been to the amusement park in this area? It's one of our well-known attractions here!"

"I think you should definitely go with us; you won't regret it!"

With her mind going in circles, she didn't register that something cold had already clasped around her wrist. To her horror, something similar to a chain was wrapped around it. She quickly discovered that it was the doing of a Quirk user among them.

"You don't need to worry, miss, you have nothing to fear. We're actually Heroics students! You agree that Heroes could be trusted, right?"

The tall guy walked in front of her and winked. "And rest assured we'll bring you back here in no time!"

The revelation didn't help in making her at ease because the chain around her hand secured its grip even tighter. This made the warning bells in her head to tell her to break free, but her legs had already began to move with the group. Processing that she had most likely fallen to a villain group's modus operandi, she quickly let a giant ring materialize out of her skin where the chain had her captive. The sudden action surprised the group and she seized the opportunity to bring out a metal rod out of her other arm. She paid no attention to the hole it subsequently caused and swung the rod around them. They backed away by reflex and she took the chance to escape, entering an alley and holding out her weapon defensively in front of her.

Fear seemed to be painted in their features but she wasn't so sure herself. Even if they were dressed like ordinary civilians, there was no evidence that they were just in disguise. What if they were still acting? She recalled the news how rampant villain activities were.

One of them laughed hoarsely. "Still playing hard-to-get, eh?"

The tall guy stepped in front, attempting to block the Quirk user with chains. "Kusari, dude. . ."

Kusari guy pushed away his companion, swinging his chain arms. "Quit being a weak wimp, Ato." He stomped towards her and attempted to trap her again, but she successfully evaded. "What's the deal with you, eh? Come with us!"

Her heart was rapidly beating against her chest. Her hands were shaking but she kept her grasp on her weapon. She knew there was a dead end behind her so there was no easy way of escaping. "D-didn't you hear what I said? I said I didn't want to go."

"We already showered you with compliments so the least you could do is come along with us!"

She frowned at their twisted logic. "If you keep this up, I-I will definitely report you to the authorities!"

"W-wait, we don't mean any—"

"Go, Barun!"

The one named Ato wasn't able to finish since the stout guy came running towards her, and she was able to sprint away towards the wall just in time. What she didn't notice, however, was the long piece of rope planted on the ground, which caused her to stumble to the floor. Although her head was spinning with the impact, she felt something was binding her body. She knew there was a chance of escaping by letting out something from her body, but was it the right choice? What could she produce? Would she be able to outrun them?

Before she could decide, Ato sat in front of her and winked for the second time. Immediately she felt losing conscious control of her legs. "Sorry, miss, we're really, really just desperate, you see. . ."

"Let me go," she spat.

"Oh no, not when you haven't listened to what we have to say." The panic in his voice perplexed her. Perhaps, they were amateur thugs . . . ?

Her whole body felt numb. Ato was waving a piece of paper in front of her and was saying something..

Her father's voice began echoing on her head.

 _We'd prefer if you wouldn't take Heroics._

Her vision was hazy. She couldn't make out the words on the paper. She glanced at the others behind him and saw the other three men standing around her.

" _Our dear Momo has a useful Quirk, doesn't she? Don't you think she'd be a great hero one day?"_

" _Yes, but. . ."_

 _. . ._

" _Mother, why can't I play with my friends? And. . . how come our big bodyguards have to accompany me every time we go outside?"_

 _"The world outside is dangerous, my dear, which is why they have to be with you. Besides, you could have all the toys you want here at home, right? Maybe you could just invite your little friends over here!"_

 _. . ._

" _Time flies so fast. . . You'll be a high school student soon."_

" _I compiled a list of the best schools offering Support courses, which is perfect for your Quirk, darling!_ "

" _Imagine all the gadgets you can make that would help heroes!"_

 _She smiled._

 _But the smile transformed into grin the following week as she waved a letter in front of her parents._

" _Mother, Father! I received a mail from U.A., the best Heroics school in Japan! I received a recommendation for their program, and I am qualified to take a special entrance exam!"_

 _Her parents smiled and looked at her, but not with the pride she was expecting them to have._

" _Honey. . . That's great, but there's something you must know. . ."_

 _"We'd prefer if you wouldn't take Heroics."_

An abrupt, eruptive noise effectively snapped her out of her daze.

"Oi, aren't you shitty fuckers aware that using your Quirks in public is illegal?"

From the end of the alley stood an ominous-looking figure whose hands were releasing smoke. She swore she heard a shameful squeak coming out from one of them.

"And didn't you hear what she just said? You all fuckin' deaf or what?"

When nobody made a move, he charged at them with no warning, grabbing Ato and throwing him towards his companions. Blinking the tears away, she met the gaze of Bakugou who looked far from being amused.

"Wh-wh-what the hell's with this guy?"

"Wait, isn't he that crazy dude from U.A.?"

"Shit, shit! We screwed up big time! This is your fault, Kusari!"

After recovering from being stacked like a pile of meat, the four of them started to scurry away. Bakugou began to run after them, but before he did, he faced her again.

"What the hell are you sitting there for? Fuckin' go after them!"

It was as if she had been splashed with cold water. She nodded briskly, creating blades from her abdomen which ripped a portion of her clothes and the bindings trapping her. Realizing the control of her lower extremities returned, she trailed after Bakugou who was already ten steps ahead of her. In no time, Bakugou managed to reach them, and with her help restrained them with bindings as they waited for the authorities to arrive.

Bakugou stood looming over them intimidatingly. "You say you're Heroics students from what school again?"

"Y-Yano Institute."

"Huh, never fuckin' heard of that." Bakugou grabbed Ato by the front of his shirt. "Are you fuckin' lying to my face, you shitty giraffe?"

"N-no, but we're really students from that school!"

"It's because their Heroics course have yet to be accredited by the government," Yaoyorozu pointed out as she scanned the paper she was previously shown, "Or so this letter says."

"I-it's true. . ." the stout guy, Barun, exclaimed, who had already given up in trying to escape, "We thought one way of being accredited fast is by helping other people in our own way."

"And one way we thought was to tour visitors around!"

Bakugou started hitting them on their heads. In other circumstances she might have stopped him, but she found satisfaction in watching him do so. "You. Are. All. Such. Dumb. Pathetic. Fuckers! You really fucking think forcing people to do as you please would actually help your school? Fucking listen to your damn stupid words coming out of your idiotic mouths!"

"But don't they say that it's also a heroes' job to stick their noses in where they aren't supposed to be?" Ato said, trying to justify what they did. It earned him another strike from Bakugou. "W-we thought she was just shy or something!" The fourth guy in their team, the one responsible for making the ropes, simply nodded, but his head met Bakugou's angry fist as well.

Kusari just pouted, avoiding eye contact. "It's not fair though. You preach about using not using Quirks in public but you yourself used it. Even she did!"

Bakugou rolled his eyes, taking out something from his pocket. "That's because we have provisional licenses, you rusty idiot."

Yaoyorozu nodded, taking out hers from her ruined coat. Thankfully it was spared when she created her blades.

The group was obviously surprised with her revelation.

"What? She has a license too?!"

She knitted her eyebrows together, frowning. "Of course I do."

Bakugou surprisingly was quiet, but she felt his gaze lingering at her. She didn't have it in her to look back. Instead, she looked at her watch, making her recall something.

"Bakugou-san, I think we have them properly secured. The policemen should arrive any minute. Don't you think we should go?"

He gave her a disbelieving look. "'The fuck do you mean? We have to make sure these pathetic losers learn their damn lesson."

"That I agree with, but what I meant to say was. . ."

"Sorry, sorry, but your complementary passes allow entry for a specific time, which is between 13:00-14:00 only," the Support Fair employee said, bowing repeatedly by the time they arrived at the venue, "Beyond that time you are not allowed to enter anymore, our apologies! Our apologies!"

"WHAT?! But it's just 14:02! We just missed it by two minutes!"

She placed a finger on her lips, cringing at her classmate. "Lower your voice, Bakugou-san."

"And that's it, you missed it by two minutes! Two minutes!" the employee said with a wide grin, unfazed by Bakugou's antics, "Our apologies, our apologies! We are rather strict with the entrance but you could go back at the same time tomorrow, tomorrow!"

"You heard what he said, Bakugou-san!" She pulled him away the entrance before he managed to scream another fit of profanities, "We could go back tomorrow!"

He brushed her arm off, standing on his own feet stubbornly. "Well, what do we do now? Should we go to the damn city library or something?"

An idea clicked in her head. There was a place she knew that had a wide array of books. "I have an even better idea!"

He raised an eyebrow at her suggestion, but nonetheless agreed, much to her delight.

They had spoken no words en route to Tokyo station. Across from her, Bakugou had his arms crossed, looking outside through the window as if in deep thought. The silence allowed her time to reflect on what had occurred a few hours ago.

She took out her license from a newly-produced coat. She stared at the hero name written on it.

 _CREATI_.

" _We'd prefer if you wouldn't take Heroics," her father said with a sad smile, "Honey, I think it's time for you to know. . ."_

 _He handed her various letters._

 _Blackmail. Various attempts of kidnapping. . ._

 _She was the subject of the exchanges._

" _It's the reason why we prefer that you stay indoors, or go out with bodyguards."_

" _We know your Quirk is . . . special, dear."_

" _That's why we would honestly appreciate if you kept a low profile, Momo. We wouldn't want the bad guys to trail after you. . ._

 _Her Quirk allowed her to make any non-living things, which included weapons and money._

 _"We wouldn't want them to exploit you or your abilities."_

It was a lot for her to digest that time. She remembered her parents' embrace after the revelation; they really wanted her to disregard U.A.'s recommendation. She thought she would, too. She loved her parents that much.

But no matter how many times she went through the list of all the Support course schools, she'd always go back to U.A.'s letter.

She recalled trying to absorb whatever new things she could see from whatever box she was enclosed in. Through their car, she remembered passing by several festivals with colorful decorations and food stalls. She expressed desires of going, but her mother would always refuse. She'd just tell her their house chefs were the best in terms of cooking so there was no need to try out food from the outside. At home, she only had the television to tell her what's happening in the outside world. It was through it that she learned the reality that no matter what the day was, accidents, raids, murders and other bad events still happen. It was just unavoidable.

However, there had always been a sliver of hope amidst the chaos.

The heroes.

All Might. Crimson Riot. Copper Man. Wonder Girl and the others.

She had always admired them, and dreamed of the day where she could just be like them.

She had read U.A.'s letter again.

She soon learned that the more she was deprived of her freedom to choose, the more she realized how much she wanted it.

So for the first time in her 14 years of living, she defied her parents' wishes by telling them she intended to try out U.A.'s special entrance exam.

" _Dearest Momo, are you sure. . .?" her father asked. Beside him, her mother was on the verge of tears._

" _Yes, and I will prove to you that I have what it takes to be a hero by passing it. You said my Quirk may be exploited right? So I would make sure that it would always fall into the good hands. I will hone my skills so it would help other people." This time it was her who initiated the embrace. Her mother started to cry. "Besides, they wouldn't recommend me if they thought I didn't have the ability, right?"_

A tear escaped from her eye, dropping down onto her license. She quickly turned away, wiping it against her sleeve and hoping nobody noticed.

" _What? She has a license too?!"_

Their words hurt her more than she realized it. It might have not been their intention, but the insinuation that she did not appear like someone worthy of having a Hero license was there. She hated herself even more at the thought that she wasn't able to handle four ignorant teenagers who had no idea what they were doing. What could have happened to her if actual villains captured her?

Her breath hitched and she attempted to conceal it, looking the opposite direction. She closed her eyes, inadvertently clenching her license tighter in an attempt to calm herself.

She didn't notice that Bakugou had been watching her the whole time.

She felt better by the time they disembarked the train. She managed to create a scarf along the way so her hair was also back to its usual state.

She looked at Bakugou who was walking beside her. It was an unusual sight, since she honestly wasn't used to it. He always preferred walking ahead of her, but since her house was the destination, it could not be helped.

He growled beside her. "Is your house still far away? We've been walking for quite a damn long time. How annoying!"

She clasped her palms together and bowed slightly. She gestured towards high fences on the left side of the road. "Sorry! It's right here, actually! The main gate's still a bit far so we're going to the side entrance."

A genuine look of confusion washed over Bakugou's face. "Huh? 'The hell do you mean? Ain't this the Western Embassy or something?"

Her cheeks flushed. "That's a . . . common misconception." By the time they reached the gate, she held a key card which opened it. "But yes, this is our house."

He trailed after her with a flabbergasted expression. She tried to stifle her laughter as they passed by the gardens.

"This isn't . . . just a house. It's a damn freakin' palace!"

She let out a sheepish laugh in response. They soon entered the house and was greeted by Uchimura, their family butler.

"Welcome home, Young Lady Momo," he said, bowing in respect, "Bakugou-sama, welcome."

Thankfully Bakugou seemed to have recovered from his shock, and grunted back in greeting. He didn't talk for the rest of their trip towards her personal library, and by the time they were alone, he spoke up. "Fancy place you got."

She smiled. "Thank you. My parents work hard. If you'd like, I would give you a tour later on."

He only mumbled in response and didn't press the issue further. They went through the bookshelves separately, searching for relevant references. Each of them grabbed books which they thought were helpful, and soon, sat across each other.

"I think our first prototype was good in terms of the Ingenuity, Thoroughness, and Clarity," she started, going through the criteria, "However, in terms of Integration, Application and Usefulness for both Quirks and the Users. . ."

He ran through the book lazily, not looking at her once. "Yeah, yeah, I already know that. . . Although it could actually help you too, the damn cannonball was made more for me. Unless you train your shitty upper arm strength it'd be much beneficial for you to just create a cannon for firepower."

There was a distinct pause in the air that the buzzing sound of the heater was the only thing heard in the room. It didn't seem to bother Bakugou who continued reading on.

"I . . . really have to work on my battle skills, don't I?"

The words already escaped her mouth by the time she realized it. He was still flipping the pages of the book, yet she knew his gaze shifted towards her. It urged her to continue.

"With the term coming to an end, I'm sure there would be another surprise practical exam." She brought down her head, staring blankly at the pages in front of her. "Compared to you, Bakugou-san, to Todoroki-san and the others, I'm just . . . nothing."

She knew she had his attention because he stopped browsing altogether.

"In all the major practical exams, the only reason I was able to pass was because I was with someone. All alone, I'm pretty much hopeless."

"Then just get stronger, you idiot."

". . . but even at this rate, if it weren't for your help earlier, I could've been—"

He slammed an explosive fist on the table. "Fucking hell, this is going nowhere! I'm sick of you being such a fuckin' downer!"

She stared at the spot his fists came in contact with. Good thing it was made of high-grade Mahogany. "I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up."

He spoke nothing for a moment before shutting the book in front of him. She watched as he exhaled hard before standing up abruptly, creating a coarse sound with the heavy chair being pushed away. "You have someplace here that's spacious enough?"

She raised an eyebrow at his sudden question. Was he implying in Bakugou-speak that he wanted to have a tour around the house so they could forget about this awkward encounter? "Well, there's . . . our backyard."

"Good. Let's go there," He stomped towards the door and opened it. "Getting fuckin' stuffy in here, anyway."

They walked towards the back side of their house. Along the way she encountered Uchiwara and instructed him to bring their snacks at the yard instead.

The temperature outside was a lot cooler than before. She observed Bakugou, who descended the stairway casually with hands in his pockets. He was glancing around the open space which was bordered by some plants and trees.

"You said 'backyard," he muttered looking up the high fences enclosing the whole estate, "You sure you didn't actually mean the freakin' Yoyogi Park?"

She looked at him disbelievingly. She couldn't really tell whether he was saying it out of spite or was just actually joking. Thinking about it, was he actually capable of the latter? She shrugged the thought off, walking away to give him space. She did make him angry, didn't she . . . ?

When she turned to him again, she was beyond horrified when he suddenly lunged at her with an explosive fist; instinctively she let a shield materialize out of her arm, effectively blocking his attack, but she lost her footing and tripped over her feet to the ground.

Okay, she probably did make him a bit angry, but not to that extent?! She tried to dig up all her memories with him on the spot. What exactly had prompted this madness to occur?!

He simply gazed back, looking far from being apologetic as he slowly approached her.

It was that exact moment when Yaoyorozu pondered whether Bakugou really had a few screws loose on his head or just possessed an extraordinarily crazy way of dealing with things, because who else would be able to charge at her with explosives after being invited to her house, without any warning whatsoever, without seemingly finding anything wrong with the whole equation!

"Bakugou-san, wha-what is the meaning of this?" She watched as he knelt down beside her. She couldn't see his eyes since they were hidden behind the shadows of his hair. He didn't respond and instead grabbed her wrist.

"Those losers at the alley." His voice came out low that almost made it similar to a growl. "Why did you hesitate?"

Her confusion was replaced with disgrace as shameful memories came surging back. She did want to fight back, didn't she?

"If I had not come, what would you have done? Would you just let them fucking take you away?"

In front of her was Bakugou who actually had to endure being abducted by actual villains. Villains who, without a doubt, had ill intentions and high likeliness of ending her life without a second thought.

Despite that, she witnessed how strong he was, how unyielding his spirit no matter what odds. In comparison, she was pathetic. Simply pathetic. . .

When she didn't answer, he squeezed her wrist even more to the point of discomfort.

"They were this damn close, right?" He pulled her arm towards him. When she tried to pull away, his grip didn't even budge. "What would you have done?"

What would _she_ had done?

The memories at the alley resurfaced again. Her frustrations about all the should have's and could have's lit up a fire in her soul and before she knew it, she created a giant bolster from her chest which could've pushed Bakugou a short distance away if he had not released her hand and leapt away.

"One, I would have created some space between the two of us." Pulling up her sleeves she allowed her metal stick to rematerialize from her arm. She held it in front of her in defense. "And two, I would brace myself for any of their movement, just like what I did in the first place." She took a deep breath and reverted back to a more relaxed position. "That. That's what I would've done."

Her demonstration did not seem to satisfy him one bit. Across from her, he stood up unfazed. "Then why didn't you?"

Fear. Self-doubt. Vulnerability.

She knew those were the answers.

"These feelings. . ." She looked down the ground bitterly, ignoring the dropping temperatures of the outdoor winds that seeped against her exposed skin. "I don't think someone like you would understand."

The creases between his eyebrows increased, and he angrily trudged towards her. "What the hell kind of bullcrap are you spouting, huh?!"

She tightened the grip around her metal stick as she found herself stepping backwards, trying to maintain a distance away from him. It was futile however when her back came in contact with the high fences of their house. "Someone like you, Bakugou-san, who had always been strong from the start, would not understand what it means to be inferior to somebody!"

It was too late when she realized that she hit a nerve, because Bakugou's expression changed completely; from detached frustration it escalated into straight-up fury as he raced towards her with exploding fists. He was already too close for her to come up with any sort of defense items, so she simply braced herself, ducking behind her arms in reflex, but the attack never came. Instead, it landed on the spot just beside her head.

"SHUT UP!" he growled, punching the spot on the fence, now black with burnt marks. "Shut up. . . You don't fucking know a single thing. . ."

She lowered her arms to see the seething anger in his eyes.

"I don't want to hear that from the bitch who was one of the few recommended for my dream school, who scrutinized my shitty performance against shitty Deku in that practical test, who toppled over me every single damn time in academics, who ranked highest in the Provisionals which I didn't even pass in my first try! SO SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

The bitter resentment was clear in the words which he declared right at her face. She realized that in front of her was also the same person who failed his license exam the first time he took it. That time, she was only focused on Todoroki who likewise failed. Thinking about it, nobody really seemed to ask how he must've felt that time. She knew it affected him, for someone as prideful as he was.

His fist that had been hitting the fence behind her had already stopped. It remained in contact with the wall, slightly above and barely touching her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Bakugou-san. . . That time, I guess I was just scared."

"And you think I wasn't back then?" he lashed back, and she instantly connected that he meant the Kamino incident. "But you know what, I refused to show those shithead villains a single hair of vulnerability, because if I did, that's when they'd strike!"

"And. . . that's what I was talking about. By yourself, you are strong, unlike me, who couldn't even—"

"Idiot!" His hands started hovering right at her face as if wanting to strangle her. "And you thought I don't need help too? Weren't you the one responsible for making that damn tracker and finding out where the hell I was in the first place?!"

Yaoyorozu remembered likening Bakugou to the physical manifestations of his Quirk. At that moment, she felt that slowly, the smoke was clearing.

"You put people on a high pedestal and you don't even realize you're standing fucking right beside them. You're the only one pushing yourself down!" It was when he began to step away from her did she realize how close they had been for the past few moments. "That's the problem with you; you keep on comparing yourself to others. If you won't get your shit straight it wouldn't be damn surprising if you'd actually get stuck at that crap level!"

She began to nod, grasping his words to her head.

"I don't give a shit on what caused those feelings. What matters is if you wanna keep up with me, if you still want to prove you deserve that damn license, you better focus on making yourself stronger instead. So are you up for the challenge?"

This time, she didn't stutter. "Of course."

A feral grin appeared on his face before he charged at her again. "Then show me what you've got, Ponytail girl!"

They exchanged hits for the following minutes until she collapsed on the ground, panting heavily. Soon enough he also sat down and rested his back against the ground, mumbling something about his aching arms. She knew the only reason she survived was because his explosions became weaker the more the sun descended down the horizon. If they had done the impromptu sparring in summer, she had no doubts she'd be roasted at her present level.

She began to shut her eyes, realizing what a long day they've had. If there was one thing that prevented her from falling asleep altogether, it was Bakugou's voice.

"Hmph. Whaddaya know," She saw him wiping his hand against his face. "You actually managed to put a scratch on me."

She gave a weak smile. "Just a scratch though."

"That's a start, especially for someone with shitty battle reflexes and skills like you."

The smoke somehow cleared, and for the first time, Yaoyorozu thought she was beginning to see the real him underneath.

His teaching methods were entirely unconventional, but she actually understood the message. Indeed, Kaminari was right; Bakugou did very poorly in terms of verbal communication. If there was one thing certain she learned, it was that he was a man of actions instead.

She slightly turned her head, glancing at him. It took the remaining amount of her strength to nudge her hand to his side, gently touching his wrist.

It definitely caught him off-guard, judging from his widened eyes and the awkward twitch from his hand, but he didn't make any motion to pull it away.

Perhaps he was more fatigued than what he actually liked to show?

"Bakugou-san, thank you."

"Tch. Was only trying to get that shit inside your damn head."

In Bakugou-speak, she knew what it meant. She tried to suppress a giggle. "It won't hurt to say 'you're welcome,' you know."

"Whatever, Yaoyorozu."

In class, she had heard Kaminari and Sero joking that once Bakugou called you by your actual name, you'd actually transcended a border. A comforting warmth enveloped her cheeks. "Although… your rescuing skills really need some work. Please word your phrases better towards the victim the next time you rescue someone in an alley or any place."

"Tch!"

Snow began to fall from the sky. At the same moment, Uchiwara approached them, with an umbrella at hand. "Young Lady Momo, Bakugou-sama, your drinks are ready."

The next day, they met at an entirely different place, yet still close to the Support Fair venue. She arrived earlier again, and for some reason, she learned she was a magnet for troublesome men.

"Hey girl, wanna have a good time?"

But unlike the previous day, she knew what to do.

"No, thank you," she dismissed immediately.

"Come on, miss! Just for a few moments—"

She let the metal stick materialize and held it intimidatingly.

"I'm sorry sir," she said firmly this time, "but didn't you hear what I just said?"

The sudden action surprised them and left them walking away. She exhaled hard when they were out of her sight. Good thing it worked. Why do they keep coming after her, anyway? She began to reflect on her wardrobe; was it the reason why they just kept coming after her? But hadn't she already resorted to wearing ordinary clothes instead of her designer ones? She sighed.

"Oi, Ponytail girl."

She tried not to be bothered that he was back to his silly nicknames again. She glanced at her watch. "Bakugou-san, you're late again."

She expected him to scowl like he usually did, but to her surprise, he simply smirked.

"You're just early."

She did not notice two things: one, that he had been watching her the whole time, and two, the proud smile that he was able to hide the moment he faced her.

"Come on, let's get going to that damn exhibit," he said, not even waiting for her as he started moving towards the venue. She kept up with his tracks and walked beside him.


	6. Bakugou III

The cafeteria was bustling with noise that day, metallic chopsticks clanging loudly against bowls, seas of voices senselessly blabbering about. It was a school lunch day pretty much like any other, but given that it's a Monday, it was hella noisier than usual. People just liked to prattle all their stupid weekend stories, apparently.

Across from him sat Kaminari and Kirishima, engaged in their annoying chatter while feeding themselves at the same time. Bakugou tried to ignore the gross bits of rice flying out of their mouths occasionally. Seriously, why did these two idiots insist on sitting with him anyway?

"So how's your project with Uraraka?"

Sparky groaned. "We're thinking of a device that could be floated with her quirk which could _then_ redirect my electric discharge at a certain angle, but it's far too complicated and science-y for both our brains so we're trying to figure something else. How about you and Shouji?"

"Well, we're both pretty reliant using our own bodies for close combat so we're thinking of an accessory that we can strap on ourselves." The redhead shit-for-brains made some circular gestures with his hands. "Something like a spiked belt that could be wrapped around our arms? We're not really sure yet, though!"

"Man, at least the two of you could already visualize something," Soy Sauce Face interjected, who took the liberty of sitting beside him. Thankfully he did a far better job in keeping food contained in his damn mouth. "Jirou and I can't figure something out!"

"Well, both of you are better suited for long-ranged combat and stealth, right?"

"That's true, but it's kinda hard to think of a device that would suit my tape and her earphone jacks."

A synchronized sigh was heard from the three of them, before he felt all eyes on him.

"How are you and Yaoyorozu, though, Bakugou?"

"It's useless to ask him, Kirishima," Soy Sauce Face interrupted before taking a sip from his cup, "He'd just tell you to put a sock in it."

Bakugou glared at the dark-haired idiot. "Shut up."

He just shrugged and looked smugly at Sparky. "See, told you."

"But Bakugou-kun!" Four Eyes stood up briskly and whipped his hand in front of Sparky, which startled the halfwit in the process, "You acquired tickets from Hatsume-kun for the Inagi National Support Fair, correct? How come we did not see you and Yaoyorozu-kun last Saturday?"

With Four Eyes' revelation, different reactions erupted from their shared long table as his classmates began talking amongst each other. Most were shocked to hear about the existence of the support fair and were dismayed how they didn't think of approaching Hatsume. Figures, they were a bunch of idiots.

He thought he could just ignore them and continue eating his lunch in peace when Sparky suddenly stood up, pointing at him with a bold look in his eyes.

"Hey, hey, don't ignore the question! And don't you say it's none of our business since, since!" He shifted his arm to point at someone seated at the next table. He didn't really need to look directly since he already saw her high ponytail from his periphery. "Look at Yaomomo! What's with the scratches and bruises on her face, huh? Meanwhile, you don't look any worse for wear. . . except for that bandage on your face probably but still! Explain yourself, Bakugou!"

He puffed out his breath, trying not to look bothered about his whole accusation. "We ran into some troublesome punks that day."

It caused another wave of shocked reactions which was louder than the first since the occupants of the other table joined along. It didn't fail to increase his irritation even further. Luckily, the noise quickly died down when the other person in question stood up.

"Those people had been reported to the authorities already so there's no need to worry." Yaoyorozu motioned her hand, gesturing for their overacting classmates to calm the fuck down. "And I'm fine now, you see."

"Eeeeh!" Black Eyes began to frantically wave her arms which started cause a scene in the lunchroom. Other students were already looking at them. Fucking scandalous. "But still! Why didn't you tell us your life had been in danger, Yaomomo?!"

All the unnecessary commotion was already giving him a headache. He heard Ponytail girl apologizing as Four Eyes proceeded to do what he performed best by telling every nosy extra that there was nothing to worry about. It effectively scared them off, which was good. For once, he could say he appreciated their weirdo class rep.

"Since you're obviously not talking about it," Kirishima started, "could I just ask if it's safe to assume that Yaoyorozu's wounds were caused by some small time villain or street thug?"

His first response was to tighten his lip, showing an unamused frown. He sneaked a quick glance at Yaoyorozu, who he realized was already looking at him. She smiled weakly when their gazes met.

"Far from it," he responded vaguely, earning him a shrug from the two in front of him. They did a wise decision of dropping the issue afterwards.

The previous day, Yaoyorozu settled two agreements with him. One of which was that there was no need for their whole class to know about the real incident that Saturday. Whether she was talking about the alley incident or their impromptu sparring session or both, she didn't specify, but he definitely shared the notion that it was needless for them to know both stories. Especially about the bit on who actually caused her injuries. If there was one thing he was avoiding, it was how those stupid gossips could inevitably transform into distorted, inaccurate stories that end up painting him in a negative light. Fine, he's slowly coming into the terms that he wasn't the most popular kid anymore the moment he stepped into U.A. but it was damn reasonable to be ticked off by those kinds of shit, right?

However, he did anticipate that they'd still be questioned by their nosy classmates especially since she was against seeing Recovery Girl after their whole skirmish. Visiting her would prompt them to tell the truth, which the old granny would surely report to Aizawa and . . . he wouldn't really want to imagine what could come next. No matter how they looked at it, their little fight would be counted as 'unauthorized sparring and use of Quirks outside school grounds' which was definitely against the rules. In the end, she assured him she was fine anyway. She made attempts to conceal the small bruises with some of those girly compact powder shit, but someone with a scrutinizing eye would still be able to notice them.

Bakugou finished his meal and set aside his chopsticks. As he flexed his fingers and wrists, the dull pain from the previous day made itself present again, though to a lesser degree. For someone like her who had crap offense, he had to admit she made it up with her commendable defensive tactics, going as far as to force him to inadvertently overexert his attacks to the point of straining his hands despite knowing the limits when not wearing his gloves and gauntlets. It annoyed him to be reminded how significantly weak his attacks were in low temperatures, but if there was one thing that made him glad with the whole ordeal, it was being proven right how she possessed the spirit of someone who could be a worthy opponent for him. Bakugou appreciated a good challenge after all.

Eventually, the bell rang and they went back to class afterwards. Nothing worth mentioning happened in the afternoon subjects, apart maybe from Present Mic's announcement that they'd have some long test the next day. Which was expected too, since they've pretty much predicted that the week would be filled with quizzes since the term was ending. And that's where agreement number two entered.

 _"Let's allot our project time during the weekends only, if you don't mind,"_ he remembered her telling him, _"Individually we are still students with other responsibilities too, so I understand if you'd want to focus on your academics during the weekdays."_

 _That,_ he should've predicted, because she's the freaking unbeaten number 1 in their overall class ranking. While practicals played a big part in their grades, written exams and all the other damn subject requirements constituted a significant percentage in their overall grading system too. Which Bakugou absolutely found pretty shitty because how the fuck can he focus on physical training if he had to study for some damn test? Of course, he was forced with the reality that U.A. is still a high school in the end so it wasn't avoidable, which was why he studied just enough while ensuring he still possessed topnotch fighting skills.

Obviously, his priorities differed from Yaoyorozu's, but it made damn sense in her part too since knowledge played a massive part in utilizing her Quirk. He recognized that she was smart, but that didn't mean he himself wasn't. In fact, he was willing to bet he'd beat her spot if he took studying even more seriously. High grades were just numbers in the end, and if he really wanted them, he'd be damn sure to fucking attain it . . . but that wasn't his style. He aspired to be the strongest hero the moment he graduates, not some damn school teacher or university scholar. He wasn't like Ponytail girl who had probably confined herself in her room to memorize the damn English dictionary or something.

"Little Miss Grade-conscious," he found himself grumbling under his breath. He was casually lying down on one of the couches in the common area, head propped on the arm rest. Kirishima and the other idiots had already retired to their own rooms after probably realizing they weren't being productive with each other's presence. Which was a huge relief for him because finally he could review in silence. He was staring intently at his notes that he didn't notice that someone was peeking at him from beside the sofa.

"'Little Miss Grade-conscious?' Are you pertaining that to somebody?"

The unexpected voice prompted him to reflexively pull away his notes from his head and look up. To his surprise, his eyes met with Yaoyorozu's, face upside-down in his perspective as she was peering from behind him. Heat rose up to his face and he quickly sat up, outraged.

"WHAT THE HELL, YAOYOROZU?! 'THE FUCK YOU SNEAKING UP ON PEOPLE, HUH?"

"Such intense, incensed emotion." Shitty Bird-face commented for the first time in his presence, who remained sitting on the other couch across him. Bakugou glared at him.

"Sorry, that wasn't my intention," she said, smiling sheepishly.

He exhaled hard, venting out the steam. Thankfully she seemed to have dropped off the issue of the little nickname she caught him saying. "Well don't do that again! 'the hell are you here for, anyway?"

"Ah, yes, about that. . ." A tone of hesitance was clear in her words. "Could we talk somewhere in private?"

He raised an eyebrow, looking at her for a moment before snapping his notebook shut with a single hand. There were probably less than half of the class lounging at the ground floor, the less annoying and less hurly-burly ones even, like Rock-face zookeeper and Tail guy. Why was there are need to speak privately? Unless it was something that she wouldn't want the others to hear?

She was fumbling from side to side, and it was only then did he notice that she seemed to be hiding some piece of paper behind her back too.

Given the current circumstances, he could only think that she was asking something related to academics, so at that moment, was this Rank 1 asking help from him, Rank 3, and was ashamed to let the others see? A smirk formed on his lips as he stood and followed her. Well, she came to the perfect person.

But he was proven wrong when she revealed that the pamphlet was something completely unrelated to their English subject. He was glad that all his deductions were made in his mind to save himself from embarrassment. Fuck Ponytail girl and her unpredictability.

If there's something else that surprised him even more than her little revelation and the proposal that came afterwards, it was the fact that he actually agreed to it. Never mind that it actually went against agreement number two, but he also liked to think that he's just had enough of reading about the English grammar and syntax. After telling him she'd wait for him on the ground floor, he walked back to his room to retrieve his winter coat.

"So, a friggin' food expo?" he muttered when they were already outside the dormitories. He zipped his coat shut when the cold winds started oozing through his skin.

She nodded as they started walking towards the large U.A. gates. "Exactly. Do you remember the portable microwaves we saw at the support fair yesterday?"

He recalled the microwave device they saw in the exhibit, which had been used by the hero Fat Gum. They did agree that food could be pretty damn useful for both of them—for her, it's primarily the material source of whatever shit she wanted to create, and for him, it could be a means of generating sweat depending on the flavor and temperature. Funny how going to the support fair made him consider the possibility of making something other than weapons.

"Yeah. It's not a bad idea."

"Indeed! I am familiar with the mechanisms of a microwave so you could leave that to me! Perhaps we should come up with a design that would be suitable for the both of us. However, we have to figure out what kind of food would be best in terms of storage life, portability, and effectiveness, and what better way to know which food to go with our microwave than to visit a food fair!"

He observed her from the corner of his eyes. He could've sworn he caught a glimpse of her literally being enveloped with an aura that matched the sparkly eagerness that she was seemingly attempting to conceal. The sight was . . . odd, but surprisingly, not unpleasant. He somehow likened the quality to Kirishima, who most of the time beamed in a gaudy, optimistic way that may have irritated Bakugou at first, but somehow learned to tolerate until present. Hers glowed a softer kind, too comforting for his tastes that it was starting to bring the opposite effect on him. If he were, say, that idiot Kaminari, he could almost describe her as . . . adorable? But god fucking forbid that wasn't part of his vocabulary. He settled with odd, which was perfect. Much like Four Eyes the weirdo class rep, Ponytail girl would be the weirdo assistant class rep.

The food fair was situated one block away from U.A.'s entrance, so it wasn't a long trip. What was usually a parking space for cars in the day was replaced with various food stalls that sprung up in different colors. He wouldn't say it was crowded, yet a considerable number of people were present—he even spotted some U.A. students who obviously recognized him, but all for the wrong reasons. He just knew, basing from the judging looks sent in his direction.

That middle schooler caught by the slime villain. That angry 1-A guy who was tied down in the Sports Fest. That heroics student kidnapped by the League of Villains.

Fucking extras, why don't they just fall in some shit hole and die?

"Bakugou-san, is everything alright?" asked Yaoyorozu. He didn't notice that he was already clenching his fists hard. He released his hands and walked ahead of her without answering her question.

"Come on, let's get to that damn stall."

He felt her eyes trailing after him but she said nothing, instead following him towards the first stall, which happened to sell takoyaki.

Dozens of ball-shaped snacks were being cooked in the square pans, and from time-to-time, the owner was flipping them around the half-spherical moulds.

"It's cumbersome to make takoyaki from scratch," he said, recalling how his mother used to make them and pretty much forced him to help along. What a huge pain in the ass.

"That's true," she uttered back, not looking away from how the snacks were meticulously being made.

"It involves a shitload lot of chopping, grinding, and whisking it to a certain consistency before the actual cooking process," he added, watching as the snacks simmered as the owner poked and flipped them around. "Unless we opt for the frozen packs, it's best to take this off our list."

Actually, they should probably not consider frozen food too since it'll be bothersome to store it. He wasn't like Half n' Half who could pretty much function like a fridge, so unless they opt to have a portable ice box too, risks of spoiling were there. He definitely wouldn't want to deal with villains and a shitty stomach at the same time. Hero support item ends up supporting the enemy. He could already imagine Aizawa marking them with substandard grades in that aspect. He started walking away, going over to the next stall.

"Wait, where are you going?"

He looked back at her who didn't budge from her spot. "What the hell are you still standing there for? Let's go."

"But," she paused for a second, seemingly fumbling for words, "aren't we going to at least try some of it?" She paused again, before slapping her hands together in front of her. "I'm sure you're quite famished too."

As if on cue, his stomach fucking growled, and despite their distance, he was quite sure she heard it too, judging from her cheeky smile. He frowned, stomping back to her place. Well, it was almost dinner time, anyway.

He ended up ordering a small box of takoyaki with an extra serving of chili sauce, while she opted for a set with assorted flavors and spices. She didn't make an effort to conceal her bliss with how happily she consumed each of them. He didn't comment on it as they went to the next stalls, but he soon noticed that attempts to discuss about their food project were usually short-lived—it wasn't because neither wanted to talk about it, but all the street food just had a high risk of spoilage so they were automatically out of the list. Gyoza, korokke, dango. . . They agreed they shouldn't probably use them, but despite that, it didn't stop her from gleefully going through all of the food stalls.

Bakugou shook his head, feeling like a huge idiot for just realizing it. Why did it have to take him that long—that FRIGGIN' LONG to the point of holding a tray full of street food already stacked high it almost occluded his damn view—to realize he had actually fallen into her trap?

"Just fucking admit it," he growled, confronting her when they finally sat down. "This," motioning at the heavy tray resting on his lap which he also managed to balance with the help of his hands, "is not because of our damned project. You just wanted someone to accompany you here."

She looked like she was about to say something, but he completely cut her off.

"Don't even try to deny it."

Her shoulders dropped in the defeat, the plastic bags dangling on her arms making a brief, ruffling noise in the process. She hid her face in shame while still holding sticks of dango, so it looked like she had two weird protruding horns on her head. She looked absolutely ridiculous. "I . . . brought it this up with the girls this morning but none of them thought it was a good idea after learning we have a test tomorrow!"

He sent her an unamused glint. "I knew it."

"I simply couldn't miss it since it's the last day today, and I'm sure Kyouka-san would've agreed to go with me but I saw that she was feeling a bit out of the weather so—"

"Stop explaining," he interrupted, clicking his tongue in irritation, "I don't give a damn."

She looked at him with widened eyes, speechless; it was the same, brief look she had before she threw those pieces of formula on his face. His eyebrows furrowed while eyeing the dango sticks on her hands; she wouldn't dare stab him in the fucking eyes . . . right?

But instead of looking offended, a curious look took over her features. "Are you saying you do not mind that I have tricked you?"

"I did not say that!"

She pouted. The sight reminded him of a puppy, somehow. His eye twitched.

"Then," she continued carefully, just as he noticed that his fingertips had been sliding tensely under the tray, "you are angry?"

To be brutally honest, he wasn't sure. Ever since this stupid project began he had been in odd situations with Yaoyorozu that stirred strange, conflicting emotions in him sometimes. At that moment, the familiar feeling of heat enveloped his head, serving like an invisible blanket against the shit winter winds. Yet he couldn't enjoy it, since a sloppy, discomfiting weight was squirming in his stomach. He breathed hard.

"If you keep asking stupid questions," he began slowly. He felt her eyes looking at him intently.

Before, she was simply a classmate to him, and much like others, he wanted absolutely nothing to do with her. Right now she was still a classmate, but the only difference was circumstances had forced them together and he had to deal with her. And to hell with crushes, love and other moronic bull crap, he didn't have time for any of those and he didn't think he ever would.

But being with her . . .

It was as if he was actually enjoying her company?

"Bakugou—"

"IF YOU KEEP ASKING STUPID QUESTIONS," he repeated with added intensity, "THEN I'LL REALLY BE MAD FUCKING ANGRMFFFHHM—"

A sweet, savory taste assaulted him, followed by a gradual, burning sensation which began spreading unauthorized in his mouth.

It was a dango.

She stuffed a motherfucking dango in his mouth.

She appeared stricken at her own actions. "A-a-a-I'm sorry! You were already screaming and angry and the boxes were almost toppling and—"

He pulled away his head while biting onto the dumpling so it completely slid off from the stick. He quickly chewed it before swallowing. "I will not let these damn boxes topple over and waste good food just like that! Who do you fucking think I am?!"

Her face looked briefly dumbstruck before it shifted to a giddier smile. "Oh, of course!"

"And who the fuck said I was angry?" The words were only muttered, coming out of his mouth before he realized it. Quickly he turned to her which made her hold her arms up in defense.

"Did . . . you say something?"

Either she didn't really hear it or she was good at feigning innocence. But both meant she was no longer dwelling on the emotions bullshit. Which was good. He took a deep breath. "Nothing."

"Oh, okay."

And then they entered a bout of silence. Beside him, she continued eating, eyes directed forward at the people passing by. He didn't share her view due to the mass of food boxes in front of him, but he actually didn't mind. In fact, it did him good. At least he saw none of the stupid nosy extras.

She broke the silence after five long seconds. "So, what's your opinion on the dango?"

"Not bad." If it weren't for the fact that she pretty much smacked it in his mouth it would've been perfect. "First time I've tasted a spicy variety."

"Me too. I'm not the greatest in dealing with spicy food, but I wanted to try it. The spiciness definitely lingers, right?"

He nodded. It was true. Specks of the spicy flavor with a little bit of sweetness were still present in his mouth.

"Capsaicin."

"The active component responsible for making peppers hot," he added without sparing a glance. "It's capable of stimulating the hypothalamus to activate the sweat glands of the body so it starts producing sweat."

A delighted noise came out from her lips. "As expected, Bakugou-san, you did your research!"

"Of course I did. Didn't I tell you we'd make damn sure this is the best term project there is? That means we're equally responsible to do some friggin' homework."

If anything, his unintended pep talk increased her perkiness even further that she was literally glowing again. "That's right! We just have to figure out the best kind of food to add Capsaicin with while considering both of our tastes! Now tell me what you think about this flavor—"

"Stop mmf—stop feeding me, damn it! Don't treat me like some kid!"

"You have your hands full, though! Now open your mouth—"

"PUT THAT GODDAMNED DUMPLING AWAY FROM MY FACE OR I'LL KILL YOU—!"

They made quite a scene after several unsuccessful feeding attempts, but ended up leaving the food fair minutes later when they were reminded of U.A.'s curfew. He no longer held the tray since its contents were transferred to a trolley bag produced by Young Lady All-around Factory—thankfully she remembered to possess common decency this time by actually informing him she'd make one from her belly. Or was it actually from her chest? Not that he looked nor did it fucking matter.

"Why the hell did you hoard so many food anyway? That's more than enough to feed a friggin' family."

"Well, you are somehow making sense. It is for our classmates, after all! Surely they're hungry after studying!"

Oh right. He almost forgot about the exam. Back to goddamn reality.

"Speaking of studying, in exchange for deceiving you and lessening your reviewing time," she coughed, and then said her next words in straight English. _"Please allow me to assist you in practicing your English for our examination_!"

 _"I do not need your help_ ," he spoke back in English, just to prove a point.

" _Very nice!_ That's the spirit, Bakugou-san!"

He slapped his hand to his forehead. Of course, trust her to think that way. He side-glanced at her to see how her eagerness didn't flicker even one bit. It was a huge contrast to the downer Ponytail girl he witnessed days ago.

Bakugou told himself that somehow, he'd rather deal with this current version of her any day.

"Since you're obviously very keen about this, I'll take your fucking game on." He grinned widely. "Did you know there are plenty ways of telling people to be quiet in English?"

She nodded with a confident stance. ''Of course! There's ' _be quiet,' 'silence please,'_ and _'lower your voice.''`_

"Hmph, impressive," he commented casually, "but I betcha never heard of this one before!"

Their little game went on even as they passed the giant U.A. gates. He was so immersed in it that he no longer noticed that they've actually passed by some of the students who he knew had been gossiping behind his back. In no time, they managed to arrive at their class dormitory.

Before she opened the door, she parked her little trolley and faced him. "Thank you for today, Bakugou-san. Not only just for our English review of course—I learned a lot from you—Thank you too," her fingers fiddled with trolley's handle, "for allowing me to indulge in these small things."

He puffed air out from his nose. "Hmpf, but you did it under the guise of our term project."

An embarrassed smile formed on her lips. "I'm really sorry. I'll be more honest next time."

He raised an eyebrow. Next time?

"And I know I totally broke agreement number two, but just this time, I promise!"

He just shrugged, slouching his back further. The agreement wasn't even his idea in the first place.

"We may resume our Capsaicin brainstorming this weekend! But speaking of that, I promised Kaminari-san and the others that I'd be helping them in studying for our written examinations next week. I hope you don't mind that I told them you're also reviewing with us!"

What?

"It's hitting two birds with one stone! We can talk about the project while also helping our other classmates. I heard you also study with Kirishima-san so I invited him along too!"

What?

Scratch his earlier thoughts. Was he actually ready to deal with Princess Ponytail of Perkiness Palace?

He soon found out days later. They stood outside the U.A. gates all bundled up in coats or whatever the hell kept them warm the following Saturday morning. Yaoyorozu was busy talking to someone on her smart phone while the rest of them pretty much lined up by the sidewalks.

"Oh man, how cool is this?!" Sparky exclaimed, walking towards the spot where he and Kirishima stood. "The two of you are joining our study sessions!"

"That's not what I came here for," Bakugou growled back, pushing away the idiot's hand when he attempted to touch his shoulder.

"What do you mean, dude?" Kirishima interjected, "I thought you'd totally show off your manly teaching techniques!"

Black Eyes shrieked excitedly, then bounced off to where they were. "So does that mean we have two teachers today?"

Soy Sauce Face showed off his usual toothy grin. "Yaoyorozu-sensei and Bakugou-sensei, eh?"

"Quit it!" Bakugou snapped back, "I ain't teaching anybody!"

Black Eyes clearly ignored him. "I wonder who's better, hmm~?"

"I'm putting my bets on Yaomomo!" Sparky answered back immediately. Veins popped on Bakugou's head but he let the remaining amount of self-control in his system to take over him. Self-control, meaning he wouldn't use physical contact . . . yet. He simply gave off his death glares at Kaminari which effectively made the fool squeak pathetically and cower behind Black Eyes.

"Man, seems like Bakugou's group is complete today," he heard Tail guy comment. Beside him, Earphone woman seemed to mumble some sort of affirmation, adding how energetic they were at that hour.

He eyed all of them, and true enough, these were the guys who just liked acquainting themselves with him.

No wonder academic discussions with them were often such a pain.

He was surrounded by idiots, to put it simply.

Black Eyes then gasped, which caught their attention. She pointed her finger towards the streets. "But guys, do you know what's even cooler?"

He knew he should've totally expected it, but he'd be lying if he said his eyes didn't even widen in awe.

"Um, my apologies for the inconvenience of waiting outside for this long," Yaoyorozu said as a limousine slowly came to a stop right in front of them. He could tell that the others were pretty much frozen in their spot, and it wasn't due to the cold morning breeze. "When my mother learned that all of you will be coming over, she insisted that our chauffeur will come fetch us."

For a moment, images of her enormous mansion entered his head. He wondered whether he also happened to get himself acquainted with an actual friggin' royalty.

"Bakugou-san?" She flashed a smile at him, just as he noticed that the others were already entering the car which had been opened promptly by her driver. She was simply standing beside him, making no motion of going in yet. "Is everything all right?"

He looked at her briefly before nodding his head, trailing after Kirishima who was mumbling astonished nonsense with Kaminari. She then walked closely behind him before thanking her driver. He stifled a chuckle. Royalty or not, Ponytail girl was still Ponytail girl.

"Holy crap, we're actually inside this . . . luxurious vehicle?! It's like . . . we're actual celebrities?" Black Eyes was obviously trying to contain her excitement, marveling at the intricate interiors of the car. Bakugou was only thankful he was sitting far from her so he didn't have to deal with her annoying chatter. To be completely fair, it wasn't really everyday that you get to experience riding in such a fancy vehicle with a large flat screen TV and high-class velvet curtains inside, among all other things. "Kaminari, pinch me, am I dreaming?!"

"It's useless to ask him, Ashido," Earphone woman responded instead, poking the other's cheek with the end of her earphone jack. "Seems like he already short-circuited."

True enough, Sparky, who was seated between the girls, had his signature foolish face activated.

"Kaminari-san, are you feeling carsick? Would you like a lozenge?" Yaoyorozu said, and then proceeding to mutter something about a pressure point which was apparently taught to her by Half N' Half. He wasn't able to hear clearly since he was at the other end of the car. Not that he needed to know, anyway.

"Yaoyorozu's really something else, ain't she?" Kirishima whispered, and he heard Soy Sauce Face mutter a "yeah" as he nodded. Bakugou on the other hand didn't say anything, though at the back of his mind, he was inclined to agree.

The car ride was pretty much uneventful, apart from trivial conversations mostly initiated by Black Eyes. The lively chattering faded to oblivion, however, as soon as their little study session commenced. It no longer surprised Bakugou when he was introduced to a big-ass study hall, perhaps even more enormous than the library where they stayed at before.

They were all huddled together at the end of the table, all scribbling notes as Yaoyorozu was reciting a verse from one of their literature book. Bakugou opted to sit at the other end of the table, away from the little study bunch. Despite Sparky and Shit-for-brains' countless attempts to convince him to join them, all they got was a big fat NO. Predictably they were disappointed, and from the corner of his eye he was sure Yaoyorozu was, too, but she didn't really say anything. He resumed browsing his own notes at his own pace, going over their annoying course outline.

But not even half an hour had passed and he realized he was growing freaking bored. He'd rather talk about their term project—that's exactly what he came for anyway—but that would be impossible since his partner had her hands full. Literally. She was holding a book on one hand and a marker on the other while trying to accommodate the erupting questions from her groupies.

"I just can't seem to understand what exactly was going through this character's head," Tail guy brought up.

"I get what you mean, Ojiro!" Black Eyes added, scratching her unruly hair, "His thought process is so complicated!"

He noticed the creases that formed between Yaoyorozu's eyebrows as her gaze shifted back to the book. "Let's go back to page 37, shall we? From there I'll list down the dialogue that ultimately led to his decision. . ."

They were too engrossed with their discussion that they didn't realize that he had already stood up, only noticing when he strode towards Yaoyorozu who was too busy writing and dictating. She flinched in surprise when she sensed his proximity.

"You're making it way too complicated." He brought his hand forward, gesturing for her marker. "Gimme that."

He faced the whiteboard and wrote large, erratic texts on it. He then encircled the phrase he wrote for emphasis.

"'Take note of the bigger picture and the author's intentions,'" she slowly read, a hand resting under her chin.

"Damn right," he affirmed, then tapping the end of the marker on the board as he faced them, "That's the important shit you have to keep in your heads in all the readings. The answers are all in the texts, anyway. If Ponytail here writes all of the necessary dialogue, it'd take us the whole day just for Modern Literature."

She was pouting. "You're exaggerating, Bakugou-san!" A sigh. "But I guess you do have a point."

"Hell yeah! Now you're joining us, Bakugou?!" An ecstatic grin was plastered all over Kirishima's face, and when he scanned the other fools, he realized they all seemed to share the same blinding eagerness.

He exhaled hard. How annoying. But he grunted in affirmation anyway. The so-called 'Bakugou group' cheered in unison.

"Let's do our best, then!" Yaoyorozu said while Black Eyes and Soy Sauce Face were continuously chanting 'Bakugou-sensei' and 'Yaomomo-sensei.' A warm feeling trickled in his face. He was sure it was the feeling of irritation due to the inconvenience of all the shitty circumstances, not because he was thrilled about it.

The study session resumed from then. Somehow, they settled with an unspoken agreement where Yaoyorozu would discuss and expound on necessary details while he would summarize all the needed shit. He figured it was simply just their way of teaching, or it was just how they were—whereas Yaoyorozu was prim, organized and unbelievably patient with explaining the lengthy know-hows, his way was rough, concise, and straight to the fucking point. For the little study group, the setup proved to be effective. Like when idiot Kaminari couldn't make his damn brain cells to understand a jargon that Ponytail girl had been trying to explain, the halfwit somehow did when Bakugou slammed a rolled handout on his head while exclaiming the same definition with less fancy words and more expletives. It worked the opposite for Kirishima; when shit-for-brains couldn't absorb that all he had to do was to follow the damn formula, he somehow understood more when Yaoyorozu laid out the steps one-by-one.

In the end, it all worked out perfectly. He didn't even realize that they've been at it for almost three straight hours already. He could even say that he'd probably consider the thought that teaching a crowd wasn't that bad of an idea, after all. It wasn't just about 'helping' them, per se; in it's own way, it stimulated his mind which also helped him review in the process.

Yaoyorozu decided that it was the perfect time to have a break. Despite enjoying the looks of their 'students' who seemed to have their brain batteries depleted, he agreed to it. He was getting hungry, anyway, which was why he went off to get their snacks with Yaoyorozu without any complaints. What, he'd get his hands on food much faster that way.

"Do you think we've been a little too hard on them?" she said once they left the hall.

"Nah, that just serves them right. They came here to learn, right? So we better make sure to beat them to a bloody pulp so as not to waste anyone's time."

"Hmm, that makes sense, I guess," she responded, chuckling, "But thank you for helping out. To be honest, I was really disappointed when you told Kaminari-san and Kirishima-san that you wouldn't. I was really looking forward to seeing your 'manly teaching techniques' when I learned that you've once taught Kirishima-san! I'm glad you changed your mind."

He puffed an air out. Trust Kirishima to blather something like that. "You should learn not to spoon-feed them too much, though. If you keep spelling out all words for them they ain't learning rat shit."

She bobbed her head, seemingly all gung ho. "I see. Thank you for your pointers!"

"Don't get used to it. Besides, I only did that to get it over it. The longer you take, the longer I'd have to wait 'til I have you for myself." It took him one long second to realize how he phrased his words, and before she could react, he immediately added, "For the term project, of course. Don't get any wrong ideas!"

There was a dumbfounded look on her face before it completely shifted into a smile which looked far too rehearsed. "Of course. What other reason could there be?"

An uneasy knot formed in his stomach, and somehow, he felt like he regretted saying some of his words.

"Anyway, I'm also glad that you agreed to go with me in the kitchen!" she continued, showing no sign of discomfort from their prior conversation, "In fact, I was really hoping you'd do since—"

"Momo, my dear?"

They completely stopped walking when they came across a woman who resembled the girl right beside him.

"Ah, mother!" Yaoyorozu greeted in a tone that was a lot more sugary sweet than usual, yet he noticed how tense her shoulders were. "This is Bakugou-san, one of my classmates. We're on our way to the kitchen to get our snacks, so—"

"Is that so?" Her mom interjected, and he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at their exchange, "It's perfect then, because I've just baked my newest batch of cookies for you and your friends!"

An almost panicked look erupted on her face that he began to wonder what the actual fuck was going on. He noticed that something was materializing in her palm, "I see, thank you, mother! I'll go and rush to the kitchen to get them. In the mean time, would you please accompany Bakugou-san first?"

 _What the fuck?_

And then she stormed off, but not before taking his hand and placing a small piece of paper in it. When he opened it, it read: Bakugou-san, forgive me, but please preoccupy my mother. I'll explain later.

He could only watch as her back disappeared towards one of the rooms in the spacious hallway. He shifted his eyes awkwardly towards the woman in front of him.

"Aren't you the boy from the news?"

He frowned, but nodded. Goddamnit Yaoyorozu, whatever reason it was better be fucking good. He wasn't even sure which of those news shit she was talking about.

"I actually really think you have exceptional abilities! I was at the edge of my seat watching your performance in the Sports Festival last year."

Ah, so she's talking about that.

The woman went on talking, something he was kinda thankful about since all he had to do was to pretend to listen until Ponytail girl came back. It caught his attention when she mentioned how worried she was about Yaoyorozu's defeat in the festival. He never got to watch it since he was at the briefing area that time, but he heard it was one of the short-lived battles that wasn't really talked about much. "When I called her after her battle against that other classmate of yours—Tokoyami-san, was it?—she assured me she was fine. I was inclined not to believe her; she has a knack for overthinking, that girl."

He recalled all his previous encounters with her. Somehow, it was all making sense to him now.

"Anyway, I must say I'm impressed by you! You stayed true to your word that you'd win first prize."

He wasn't very impressed though. He's still sour that the two-faced ice bastard didn't go all out on it.

"But I'm sorry it all had to lead to the . . ." There was a sad smile in her face before her eyes widened, then bowing with grace. "Ah, forgive my manners. I don't think it's proper to talk about that."

His gaze shifted downwards. With the tone of her voice, he was sure she was definitely talking about the events that have led to the Kamino incident. "It's fine."

There was a distinct pause before she spoke again. "That time was also especially difficult for us. To be honest, my husband and I were against her joining heroics, but it seemed like being a hero was something we couldn't take away from her."

The information shouldn't have shocked him given how sheltered she seemingly was, yet he found himself listening intently to what was being said to him.

"Momo's head injury caused her to be hospitalized for days. Despite that, we learned she still joined that group that wanted to rescue you. In the end, she was really hardheaded in her own way."

The revelation was even more of a surprise. He knew there were casualties in their class, but he never bothered to ask for the specifics. He knew Deku was one of the seriously injured, but he possessed that idiotic madness that it wasn't surprising when he still came after him. But for Yaoyorozu . . . the righteous, know-it-all who he knew possessed a decent amount of common sense, went against odds and school rules just to go after him alongside those other idiots?

His mind was definitely telling him that it meant Yaoyorozu, much like Deku, Kirishima, Todoroki, and Iida, was a big idiot. But somehow, he found himself being thankful for it.

"You heroes look after people and one another, right?" Her mother continued, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, "So if it isn't too much to ask, please take care and look after her too."

"Mother, Bakugou-san, I'm back!" Yaoyorozu announced, pushing a fancy, food service trolley in front of her. "Sorry to keep you waiting!"

Her mother settled her hand down, giving him a smile. He simply nodded as she walked away. "I'll be taking my leave, then. Good luck with your studies!"

The two of them walked again through the corridors, on the way back to the study hall. He proceeded to grab one of the pastries. A taste of sweet spiciness stung his mouth as soon as he munched on it.

"How is it?" she asked.

"Not bad."

Her faced beamed in delight. "Great! As I was saying, I was hoping you'd go to the kitchen since I've prepared some ingredients for our Capsaicin project. These are one of the samples I asked the chef to do, but we can make one of our own later on!"

He grunted in reply, then eyeing the cookies placed on the lower compartments. "What about those?"

"T-those are my mother's cookies. . . She has an odd means of baking, so just in case it tasted funny, I asked our helpers to prepare a separate batch of pastries, just in case!" She turned to face him. "Anyway, what did the two of you talk about?"

Her mother's last words echoed in his head. He gave her a brief glance before placing his hands in his pockets, suppressing the smile forming in his lips.

"Nothing you need to know."

* * *

 **A/N** : My apologies for the late update, but here it is! Thank you all for your feedback, so far. I truly appreciate them. Bakugou is absolutely tricky to write, especially with how emotionally constipated he is. Have you guys also read the translations for the BNHA novel featuring Yaoyorozu's mom, aka Yaomama? She seems like a really sweet mom, haha, I hope we see her in the canon storyline soon!


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